


Twisty

by DrabbleDistillery



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Venom (Comics), Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Awkward Romance, Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Genderfluid Venom, Human/Monster Romance, Indecisive Eddie, Murder, Mutants, No Beta, Other, Pining, Porn, Possessive Venom, References to other Marvel creations, Violence, bisexual!Eddie, some drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:42:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 50,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26899867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrabbleDistillery/pseuds/DrabbleDistillery
Summary: Trouble is the name of the game whenever Venom has any say about it; and Eddie, for one, is having trouble complaining when trouble’s got an ass like June Kierney’s. San Francisco shines golden in the sunlight—but the nights are getting darker, and both human and symbiote can only come to one conclusion: Something else is hunting in the Golden City...
Relationships: Dan Lewis/Anne Weying, Dubious Consent - Relationship, Eddie Brock & Original Female Character(s), Eddie Brock/Anne Weying, Eddie Brock/Original Female Character(s) of color, Eddie Brock/Venom Symbiote, Eddie Brock/Venom Symbiote/Original Character(s)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 23





	1. Take a bite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first attempt. Aka: That time June thought Eddie was going to eat her brains.

“Come on, Harrison. Don’t bullshit me. You said it was an important piece.” Eddie frowned, looking up at the luxury apartment building in front of him. “Not some fluff bullshit about an heiress’ birthday.” A girl who couldn’t have been a day over eighteen sauntered into the entrance, the short hem of her dress barely covering her surgically rounded backside. He shuddered. “This seems like the loosest possible definition of the word ‘ _important_ ’.”

The man on the other end of the phone line chuckled at Eddie’s ire, though he himself didn’t see what was so amusing about it. Sure, he was grateful that the paper had hired him, and sure, he liked that his name still carried enough weight to ensure him a certain amount of freedom, perks and pay—but he certainly didn’t want his name underneath a celebrity fluff article about some rich instagram influencer girl’s twenty third birthday party.

Even if Snoop Dogg was supposed to be attending. _**Eddie, which one is Snoop Dogg again?**_

Harrison spoke again before Eddie could answer Venom’s question.

“Come on, Eddie. We don’t ask too much of you. And I _know_ you’re going to do some great work for us here, so why don’t you just go in, get some pictures, and get out. You don’t even have to write the damn thing if you don’t want. Just the pictures.”

“Earl, they’ll know it was me when they see me, with their fucking eyes, at the party.”

_**If being homeless weren’t so inconvenient, we could tell him to fuck off.**_ Venom’s voice echoed in his head, and Eddie was forced to agree. Unfortunately, not paying rent at the new apartment they’d finally moved into wasn’t _really_ a viable option.

“Wear sunglasses, Eddie. Or a hat. They’re millennials, not detectives. They’re not going to be paying any attention to you.” Harrison was right about that, at least. As long as he didn’t take any pictures of anyone doing coke in the bathrooms, there was no way he could fuck this up. _**Although I’m sure with your track record, you could find a way,**_ Venom said snidely, and Eddie rolled his eyes.

“Whatever,” He mumbled, flashing his press pass at the security guard by the door. He raised an eyebrow, but waved him through. _**Maybe someone will rob the place and we’ll get some fresh meat.**_

“Hey, what have I told you about talking about people like they’re just food?” Eddie said, punching the elevator button hard with his thumb. “Just bad guys.”

**_And I’m talking about the bad guys. Eating their heads. Like popcorn and filet mignon._ **

“That’s a weird comparison.”

_**Is it?** _

Before Eddie could answer, the doors opened to the penthouse.

_**Loud**_. Venom shivered in discomfort. The music was loud, the base thumping uncomfortably in their skull. It wasn’t loud enough to hurt, but it _was_ loud enough to make Eddie rub his temples before heading inside. There was another security officer a few feet in front of the elevator, who again checked to see if Eddie’s name was somewhere on the list. It was, and he was allowed past the glittery velvet rope, and onto the roof.

There was a large infinity pool to one side, where several partygoers were swimming—in various states of dress. “Figures no one would tell me about the dress code.” Eddie grumbled, grasping the camera around his neck to snap a few pictures. _I’ll edit out some of the more… questionable bits._

**_Eddie, I’m hungry._ **

_Are you kidding? Now’s not exactly the best time. Can it… wait?_

**_I think so. Humans don’t need all of their large intestines, right?_ **

_I guess no, it can’t wait._

Eddie looked around, there had to be a snack table in here somewhere—with the pure amount of weed he could smell being smoked all over the premises, there was no way they wouldn’t have at least a limited variety of finger foods. **_Maybe they’ll have tater tots._**

_I doubt it, big guy._

They were in luck; just past the pool, and across from the well stocked bar that Eddie longed to take advantage of, there was a long buffet table. **_Snacks! Get some sushi_**. He piled food onto a paper plate, before heading away from the dance floor and the buffet. The music was louder there, and Eddie’s temples were starting to ache. There weren’t many people hanging out by the railing on the outskirts of the roof, which was probably a good thing, considering everyone was fairly drunk. _I wonder if party insurance covers death by accidental falls off of buildings?_

Eddie popped a piece of tuna into his mouth, savoring it before swallowing. _**Good quality fish. Eddie, why are the females dressed like that?**_

“Women,” Eddie corrected. “Women don’t like being called ‘females’. And it’s a pool party, V. They’re, uh, dressed for the occasion.” Though some of them were certainly taking that a lot more seriously than others.

_**I like bikinis,**_ Venom rasped, and Eddie felt him direct their gaze appreciatively toward a busty blonde carrying shot glasses on a tray, her ample cleavage barely contained by the tiny scraps of red fabric.

“Me too buddy.” Eddie agreed, and waved her over, pulling two shots from her tray. “One for you, and one for me.” Eddie replied, knocking them back, one after the other in rapid succession. **_More like two for me to filter out of your liver later._** To Harrison’s credit, there were other reporters there, though this knowledge made Eddie even more skeptical that his presence at Bikini Summer 2019 would go unnoticed. He tugged the cap further down on his head.

Eddie took another few wide shots of the party, content to stay out of the fray and away from the speakers. _Maybe I should get another drink,_ he thought to himself, fisting his hands in his pockets. Dammit, Earl knew Eddie wasn’t cut out for this scene, but he’d sent him here anyway.

“Sorry, do you mind if I smoke here?”

The slightly raspy voice startled him out of his thoughts. Eddie glanced up, before swallowing thickly. The woman standing in front of him was short, with a mass of neatly manicured kinks and coilsthat fell far past her shapely mocha-brown shoulders. Her gray-brown eyes watched him expectantly as Eddie tried—and failed—to formulate a response.

**_“Of course.”_ **Venom’s smooth baritone came from his lips in a fair imitation of his own voice. She gave him a small smile, and leaned against the railing a few feet away, closing her eyes. **_“Be my guest.”_**

Eddie couldn’t help himself—partly because of the liquid courage warming his gut, and only _partly_ because of Venom’s incorrigible curiosity, he took a long, hard look at her. Down her shapely neck, and over the curve of her pert, ample breasts and the stretchy, green bandeau top that encased them. His eyes quickly traced the line of her slim waist, and over the curve of her ass, which was greatly emphasized the the not-quite-thong bottoms that matched the top.

She produced what looked to be a half smoked cigarette from behind her ear, and a lighter from inside her top. Eddie quickly stifled a laugh, and she glanced at him, her cheeks slightly flushed. “What? It’s not like I have pockets,” she said defensively, before lighting it and returning the lighter back to bikini top.

She inhaled deeply, before exhaling through her nostrils, glancing at him. “Nice camera.” The wind changed, blowing her smoke into Eddie’s face. He smiled slyly as the realization hit him that she was smoking a joint—not a cigarette. She tucked a mass of her curly hair behind her ear, and he spotted multiple rings lining the top of it. “You here documenting the party for posterity’s sake? Or are you getting paid?”

She offered him the unlit end of the joint, her eyebrow raised in challenge. **_Oooh, I like her. Take it, Eddie._**

_What happened to you not wanting to ‘filter out toxins’?_

_**You’re making us look bad, Eddie. Take the thing.**_ Eddie plucked the joint from her fingers at Venom’s insistence. If there was one thing the symbiote seemed to hate, it was looking awkward. Eddie wondered if he’d been bullied in the alien equivalent of high school.

**_Absolutely not._** Venom snapped, taking control of their arm, and quickly bringing the joint to their lips. **_And we do not have “schools”._**

“Oh you’d definitely have to pay me to be here.” Eddie said hoarsely, exhaling smoke with a little cough. “I think I’m getting too old for these kinds of…luxurious parties.” He gestured at her. “You should be having fun, though. Weren’t you on the guest list?” Eddie asked, but she snorted.

“Are you kidding? I’m working this gig. All the help are supposed to wear these getups.” She gestured at the lacy cover-up that hung open over her shoulders, and the bikini that left so little to the imagination that Eddie wondered how she even managed to keep a lighter in it. “I’m staff. I’m pretty sure you have to have an insta following of over 80k to be invited to one of these without paying for a ticket.” Eddie handed the joint back to her, and nodded in thanks.

“So. Any interesting drama? Fights? Drinks being thrown?” Eddie asked, grinning. She shook her head.

“Unfortunately, no. Just a whole lot of avoiding those predatory silicone valley creeps. Whoever said that nerds were the safe guys? They lied,” She snapped, taking another drag on the joint. “It’s a nice, relatively safe, boring party.” She licked her plump lips, and Eddie found his eyes following the movement.

_Has it really been that long?_ He wondered, and Venom snorted.

_**Eight months, by my count. I like her ass, Eddie.** _

_Calm down._

“What’s your name? I’m—”

“Eddie Brock.” She finished. “That baseball cap isn’t doing as much as you think it is. I’m June Kierney.”

“How’d you get this gig anyway?” Eddie asked, waving down the girl with the tray of drinks. _**She’s feisty. Get her one too. See what else she says.** _Again, Eddie took two shots, though he handed one to June.

“My friend got asked by what’s-her-name’s publicist. You know, laugh, smile, be in the background of pictures looking pretty for social media. Not a bad job. Just… not a great one.”

Eddie laughed. “Tell me about it.”

One of the other bikini clad girls waved at June, tapping her wrist. “Uh oh. Break’s over.” She stretched, her breasts pushing against the flimsy fabric. That’s hot. “Good luck with your pictures, Eddie Brock.”

_**“I’ll see you again,”**_ Venom replied, winking at her. June grinned, before giving him a mock salute. _ **“Before the night’s over.”**_

“I’d say you could buy me a drink, but they’re free,” June called, raising her voice so that he could hear her as she walked. Eddie sighed and stretched, downing his shot, and left the glass on the railing, uncaring of whether or not it tumbled down to the street below.

—

Inside the sunroom, on the other side of the pool, Eddie snapped a few pics of the birthday girl and her “besties”, before attempting to make a somewhat tasteful exit.The girls giggled, spilling drinks all over themselves and each other as they posed. Behind them, he spied June. It had been at least an hour and change, and he hadn’t seen her again until just then, her lips drawn into a tight, nervous smile. Eddie moved around them, his eyes narrowed. There was another man, holding her wrist tightly, and saying something June clearly found distasteful, If the drawn, anxious look on her face was any indication. Venom took control of their legs without Eddie’s say so, and they crossed the floor in quick strides.

“Come on, I have a nice room here. I don’t think Kayla will mind if we have a little fun at her party, right? You like nose candy? I have that too.” The man’s voice was both grating and insistent, and his tone expectant. Eddie only had to get one good look before frowning in disgust. It was Carter Godfrey—silicone valley’s latest up-and-comer. Eddie had done a piece on him the year before—for the Brock Report. Godfrey had a bad reputation, but he was charming and charismatic, so he got a pass from most media outlets. The number of women who’d been fired or silenced at his company over claims of harassment seemed irrelevant to them—but not to him. It wasn’t surprising to find him here, attempting to bully people into pity-fucking him.

**_If he had been one of my spawn, I would have reabsorbed him._ **Eddie snorted.

June shook her head, glancing up at Eddie’s approaching form. “Sorry. I’m not interested. I’m… listen I’m just here working, okay?” She gave a hard tug on her wrist, but he held fast. Eddie saw him lean in closer to leer at her, and June grimaced. _Where’s security? Aren’t they supposed to be watching for shit like this?_

“What’s she paying you? I’ll double it if you come back to the room for some fun—”

“Hey, Godfrey? I don’t think she’s interested in the kind of fun you want to have, pal.” Carter was taller than Eddie was, but Eddie had a good thirty pounds on him—in addition to the superpowered alien symbiote egging him on. Knowing he had Venom’s strength, speed and skill at his disposal was heady, and it was easier than ever for Eddie to get into fights knowing he’d be coming out without a scratch. 

_**Can we bite off his head? I bet no one would even notice.** _

_Are you kidding? He’s the golden boy of the tech circuit right now. Everyone would fucking notice._

“Evening, Brock.”

_**He’s still upset about the episode, I think.**_ Venom replied smugly, and Eddie couldn’t help but flash his most shit-eating grin. “Hows it hanging? Keeping it tucked in your jeans since the last lawsuit, I hope.”

Godfrey ground his teeth together, his eyes narrowed as he tried—and failed—to look intimidating. “I dunno why you’ve got it out for me, but this is between me, and the lady here.” June had already moved away from Carter, standing nervously beside Eddie, who crossed his arms over his chest imposingly.

“I said no,” June spat, her teeth gritted in fury. “I don’t know how to make it any clearer, _sir_.”

Carter rounded on her then, pointing his finger accusatorially in her face. For a moment, it looked like for a moment as though June was gearing up to take a bite out of him, but she curled her hands into tight fists at her side. “You’re a fucking tease, is what you are,” he snarled. “Walking around with that fucking come-hither stare, in that fucking scrap of a goddamn swimsuit, and then freaking out when a guy wants a piece!” He snorted. “If you’re looking to fuck someone for clout, a has-been reporter isn’t the right choice. You let me know when you’re ready for the big leagues.”

June’s lips were pressed together into a thin line as she rolled her eyes. “You? Big leagues? I don’t think six inches counts as the big leagues, Carter.” June replied scathingly, and Eddie barked out a laugh.

_She’s got balls,_ Eddie thought appreciatively, watching Carter stomp off, humiliated. _It’s kind of hot._

_**Would be hotter if she’d torn him apart and come home with us covered in his blood, but yes.** _

_Well you can’t always get what you want, V._

“Thanks. It got kind of creepy there for a second, like he wasn’t going to let me say no.” June replied, looking up at him.

“No problem. I figured I still owed you that drink, you know?” Eddie replied, unable to help the way his eyes traveled hungrily down her prone form. Either June didn’t notice, or didn’t care, and she grinned. “Besides, it seems like you had it mostly handled. I thought you were going to kick his ass.”

“Oh yeah. I definitely could have taken him.” June replied, nodding. Eddie almost laughed, but he could tell she was serious. “But I don’t think I get paid if I get kicked out for utterly destroying one of the richest people here.” June shot one more murderous glare at Carter Godfrey’s retreating back, and this time, Eddie did laugh. They began heading in the direction of the closest bar—there were several set up all over the roof, and at least two in the sunroom that Eddie had seen. _**Slow down.**_

_What?_

_**Walk. Slower.** _Venom’s voice was irritated, as though Eddie should have understood immediately. He hung back a few steps, and was rewarded with the sight of June’s scantily clad ass swaying in front of him as they navigated through the crowd.

_Thanks._

_**No problem. I am here to assist.** _

They watched as June sauntered up to the bar, standing on the tips of her toes to lean against it. “I’ll have a whiskey on the rocks. He’s got it,” She said, turning her head to wink conspiratorially at Eddie. He played along, giving the bartender a thumbs up. Either the joke had gone straight over his head, or he’d found it completely asinine. Regardless, the bartender said nothing, and began mixing whatever June had ordered.

_**We should get her alone.** _

_What? We barely know her!_

_**What’s to know? We can peel off that bikini with our teeth, Eddie.** _

_You only like her because she almost punched a guy._

**_Yes, it was very arousing._** He could practically see Venom licking his chops as they regarded June.

Eddie wasn’t used to hearing Venom talk like that—he’d never said anything like that about Anne. There was still lingering sadness when he thought of her. It was _hard_ , not comparing every single woman he met to her; which is what had probably made scoring so hard. But he liked June. She was cute, and funny, and… it didn’t have to be anything more than that.

**_More like you will not let it be more than that._ **

_Fuck off._ Eddie had long since made his peace with sharing his body, but his mind was... still a struggle. It was convenient having another voice to offer insight and speak to in confidence, but Venom knowing, understanding and evaluating his moods and memories was a hurdle Eddie had yet to get over. June glanced at him, his silence suddenly apparent, and Eddie cleared his throat.

“I’ll have what she’s having.”

As they waited for their drinks, June turned to face him. “Did you get enough pictures for your story?”

“Hmm? Oh. Yeah, plenty. I’m off the clock for tonight too, now.”

The bartender put their drinks down in front of them, and June took a sip of hers, shuddering as the liquor burned it’s way down her throat. “It burns, but I still like it,” she murmured, taking another sip. She turned her eyes to his, before her gaze lit on something behind him. “Don’t look now, but I’m pretty sure Godfrey is willing you to spontaneously combust.” Eddie chanced a glance over his shoulder, and on nearby couch, there he was, glaring daggers into his back.

_I think he’s jealous._

**_He should be. We are the superior male._ **

“He’s probably a little jealous that I got to get your drink, and stand next to you while you drink it.”

June scoffed. “More like he’s pissed I turned him down. I had a few friends that used to work for his company—total asshole.” She downed the rest of her drink, before signaling to the bartender for two more.

“Although I’m pretty sure you know the stories better than I do, since you busted his balls about it last year.” She replied, taking a sip of her refreshed drink. Eddie chuckled.

“Pretty well, you could say.” He mirrored her, lifting the cup to his lips. “Well enough to understand exactly why you wouldn’t want to be alone with the guy.” A moment of slightly awkward silence ticked by, and Venom sighed. You’re going to blow it if this goes on any longer. No female of any species could enjoy this. “So, you’re from San Francisco?” Eddie asked, cursing the way the small talk sounded coming out of his mouth.

“No, New York, actually.” She replied, taking a sip of her drink.

Eddie chuckled. “So we’re both transplants, then.” June nodded, tucking a wet strand of hair behind her ear. She was still marveling at the view.

“Yeah, I grew up in Bushwick. Mom, two older brothers, the whole nine. I came out here for school and I just… never left.” She looked him up and down, before frowning cartoonishly. “You’re from the City?”

“Um, yeah.” Eddie realized too late that the words sounded defensive coming out of his mouth, but June only laughed.

“Sorry. You just seem to lack a certain... je ne sais quoi...deadassness, about you.” She replied loftily, unable to keep the smile from her heart shaped face. Similarly, Eddie felt the laughter erupt from his chest before he could stop it.

“I see you left that life of timberland boots behind to come out here. And you went to school for….art, I’m guessing?” June smirked, shaking her head.

“Bzzt. Guess again.”

“Tech?”

“Negative, ghost rider. God you’re bad at this.”

“Education.”

“Hah! Me? Teaching the youth of America? I don’t think so. One more time.”

“Law?” He asked tentatively. _Please for the love of fuck don’t let her be a lawyer too._

“If I was a lawyer, I wouldn’t have to wear this on the weekends to make ends meet. I’m a dancer. I specialize in contemporary, and hip-hop.”

“Why’d you tell me?” Eddie replied, crossing his arms over his chest in mock anger. “I could have guessed it. Ever do any ballet?”

“Hah, yeah. I took more than a few classes. And I was just trying to help, I didn’t want to leave you hanging until last call.” She said, her voice dripping with insincere repentance.

He laughed. “Nurse was my next guess, actually.”

“Good thing I intervened, you definitely would have struck out with that one.” She replied, and Eddie chuckled. His eyes traced the curves of her exposed flesh It didn’t help that Venom was being the absolute worst— _best_?—wingman, and whispering darkly in Eddie’s ears about how their tongue could follow that exact same path.

Before, well, _now,_ it hadn’t really occurred to Eddie that his needs were Venom’s needs too, now. He supposed he had been rather… _withdrawn_ since it had become apparent that Anne wasn’t going to leave Doctor Dan, and that “never giving up” wasn’t really an option when the object of his interest wasn’t interested in him enough to return a phone call when it didn’t benefit her. 

_**Stop wasting time ruining our mood—Oh never mind. Someone’s going to interrupt.** _

“June? Hey, Jay!” June’s head snapped up, and she turned towards the sound of her name. Eddie fought the urge to scowl, though he wasn’t sure if it was his, or Venom’s annoyance he was feeling.

_**Why not both?** _

One of the other staff members was waving at June, rapidly approaching the bar. June looked at him apologetically. “One second.” She turned to greet her friend, a tall, willowy girl, with curly red hair.

“Hey, Jay. Me and Nina are gonna get out of here, you gonna come with? We don’t need to stay for the second shift.” 

_**Perhaps this is the friend who invited June. We should thank her.** _

_Shut up._

June glanced back at Eddie, who did his best to look as though they were watching anything but her. Without Venom, he wouldn’t have even been able to hear them from there, which was another advantage he was a little too inebriated _not_ to exploit.

“Nah, Jeannie, I’m good. I’ll just catch an uber back to the apartment.” Jeannie, the redhead, fixed Eddie with a threatening glare, while he tried to stare back as innocently as he possibly could. _**We should inform her friend that she will only be screaming from enjoyment.**_ “Stop it, I’m a big girl. Probably a little too big for Kayla McMoney’s standards,” She quipped, and Eddie swallowed a laugh. While it was true that the majority of the other cocktail waitresses were waifishly slim, he disagreed that June’s curvier figure was unattractive—and he’d even go so far as to say they were probably a little jealous.

“Text me. Seriously. I mean it, text me when you’re leaving here, text me if you go to his place, text me when you’re on your way home.” June giggled a little.

“Yes mom.” Jean cleared her throat, and June sighed. “I’ll text. I promise. After all, _I’m_ the responsible one.” Her friend laughed at this, but held firm, her arms crossed. 

“Be safe.” She said again, fixing Eddie with one more pointed glare as she walked away, muttering about doing unspeakable things to their genetalia if June was harmed. 

“Friend of yours?” He asked, shifting uncomfortably. 

“Yeah. My roommate, actually.” June ran a hand through her hair. “We came together, so usually that means we leave together.” It was drizzling now, a fine mist pouring from the sky to coat everything in dewy droplets. 

**_So she’s choosing to stay with us._ **

_I wouldn’t phrase it like that._

“Why stay?” Eddie asked, grinning.

“Well, I’d hate to waste free admission to such a swanky party on a Saturday night. Especially one with such extensive bar selection.” She gestured around them, but Eddie found that with the alcohol settling comfortably in his stomach, it was very hard to concentrate on that. Especially when June was leaning back, her dark curtain of kinky hair cascading down like a waterfall.

_**You get poetic when you drink.** _

Eddie was especially conscious of the fact that his leg was pressed against hers as they stood there, only inches apart against the bar. Their eyes met, and for a moment, he stared at her, her lips slightly parted, and her eyes lidded.

“I know what we need.”

_**“And what is that?”**_ Venom asked, taking advantage of Eddie’s slack-jawed state.

“More drinks.” June waggled her eyebrows exaggeratedly, and Eddie laughed. She stretched, before shrugging back into the cover up—that covered nothing—and flagged down one of the shot girls, opting _not_ to order from the disgruntled bartender.

“Two please. Is this tequila?” June asked, and the girl nodded before handing them the shots and walking off into the crowd. Eddie stood up, taking the shot glass from her fingers.

“Cheers.” He replied cheekily, but before he could knock the shot back, June grabbed his arm.

“Wait, what are we toasting?”

_**Her exquisite ass. Or maybe the perfect breasts you keep staring at?** _

“Free booze?” Eddie supplied, and June snorted. “Okay, how about…” He paused, working up the courage. Go on, Eddie. She’s receptive. Trust me. We can smell just how receptive. “How about we toast you comin’ back to my place. With me.”

June quirked a brow, before glancing around the party still going on behind them.

“What the fuck. Sure. Okay.” They tapped their shot glasses together, before swallowing the mouthful of burning tequila with respective shudders. “Ugh, tequila. It tastes so wrong, but feels so right,” June said, her pretty mouth wrenched into a distasteful frown. She leaned against the bar, nodding her head to the music. Which Venom was still uncomfortable with the volume of, though he wasn’t in acute pain. June eyed the dance floor a little longingly, and Eddie followed her gaze. She was a dancer, so of course Eddie assumed she loved to dance.

“You want to dance?” Eddie asked, though Venom protested. _**I thought we were taking her home, Eddie.**_

_Quiet_. “Yeah,” She answered, grinning widely. “Sure. What the hell.”

Leaving their shot glasses on a nearby table, Eddie followed June out onto the dance floor. There were plenty of people packed onto it already, but they didn’t loose sight of her as she slid deeper and deeper into the crowd. The music was still a little uncomfortable, though Venom seemed more than willing to brave the temporary discomfort if it meant having June pressed against their body of her own accord.

Eddie watched her roll her hips to the music, the fluid, confident movements of her hands against her body told him that this was not June’s first rodeo. She beckoned to him, grinning. He accepted the invitation, hearing Venom purr as his fingers grazed the soft skin of her hips. “I love this song,” she murmured, and Eddie grinned down at her, licking his lips. She pressed against him, the soft curve of her ass rubbing against the seam of his pants. Eddie swallowed thickly, his fingers digging into the flesh of her hips as he held her.

As more sweaty bodies made their way onto the dance floor, Venom tightened their grip on June’s waist. “You want to… get out of here?” He asked, the words rolling off of their tongue like honey. June nodded, following as they picked their way off of the dance floor, and away from the music.

“Sure, let me just grab my stuff.”

It didn’t take long for June to get herself together, all the while Venom chatted excitedly in Eddie’s skull.

_**You should have told her to leave the bikini on. I don’t mind the smell of chlorine.** _

“You’re being creepily eager, I gotta tell you,” Eddie replied, slurring the words just a bit.

_**If the increase in your blood pressure is any indication, you’re eager too, Eddie.**_ Venom replied smugly. He felt the symbiote rippling excitedly over his skin, underneath his clothes like a second skin. The last time they’d had a girl over to the apartment, well… it had been unsatisfying, to say the _least_. It was like an experiment to see if all his parts still worked—no passion. All he could hope for was that the unlucky lady didn’t have a blog, and that the entire world wasn’t aware of his unfortunate incident with impotence.

_**This will be different. I can tell,**_ Venom purred, and Eddie was inclined to agree. He was attracted to June—it wasn’t hard, she was gorgeous.

“Sorry I took so long. Couldn’t find my shoes.” June had slipped into a black sundress that stopped just above her knees. It was off the shoulder, with long, flowy sleeves. Her hair was still loose around her head. They headed for the exit, with June nodding at the security guard as she passed. Venom wrapped an arm around her waist as Eddie punched the down button, suddenly more eager to leave than ever. Delicious.

When the doors closed behind them, Eddie grasped June’s hips, digging his fingers into the soft flesh. “Can I kiss you?” He asked hoarsely, and June nodded, licking her lips. Eddie pressed his mouth against hers, and June moaned, opening her mouth against his as her tongue pressed against his lips. Eddie sucked her tongue into his mouth, her breathy sighs almost impossible to hear over Venom’s satisfied grunts. **_More. More…_**

“Folks, there’s other people waitin’ to use the elevator.”

Eddie growled—or was it Venom?—at the interruption. Before Venom could threaten him, or emerge from Eddie to rip his head off, June apologized, an embarrassed note in her voice.

“Sorry. We’ll get out of the way.” Eddie grasped her hand, tugging her out of the elevator, and past the disapproving stare of the security guard. Once they were outside, Venom took control growling, and pressing her up against the brick side of the building, in the alley between it, and the neighboring hotel. June brought her leg up around his thigh, leaning her head to the side submissively as he dropped a hot, sloppy kiss on the exposed skin of her throat.

_**She submits so pretty…More. Here, do it here!** _Venom demanded. And though Eddie’s inibitions were startlingly low, he wasn’t _quite_ drunk enough for fucking next to the dumpster to sound like a good idea. _No. Better in a bed, trust me._

**_Fine. Hurry up. Wait, Eddie, someone’s coming—_ **

“Well lookie what we have here, boys.” Eddie stiffened, his arms on either side of June’s head as he pulled back from her slowly. Her eyes were wide as she stared behind him, almost reminiscent of what had happened earlier at the bar.

It was Carter Godfrey’s voice, but he wasn’t alone. _**Two. He brought two men.**_

_Any guns?_

**_I will handle this._ **

_Wait. Just—let me see if I can talk us out of this._

Eddie glanced up at June’s terrified face. _Fuck_.

He eased off of her, but blocked her with his body as he turned, so that if indeed Godfrey’s goons did have weapons, and they got trigger happy, they at least wouldn’t hit June.

“You that much of a sore loser, Carter?” Eddie asked, crossing his arms cockily. June peeked out from behind him, her hand gripping his arm tightly.

“Eddie what the fuck are you doing?” She whispered shrilly. “Are you seriously baiting him right now?” He shrugged her off, placing a comforting hand on her chest as he pushed her back toward the wall. _Not like they can hurt **us**._

“A fucking slut,” Godfrey continued, as if Eddie hadn’t spoken. “And her handler.”

_**I don’t like his tone.** _

“Watch it,” Eddie replied, both to the human man standing in front of him, and the symbiote residing inside him. “It doesn’t need to get violent just cause you got told no.” He addressed Carter this time, his tone icy.

“You think this is about the girl? It isn’t.” Carter snapped, though Eddie could see that it clearly was. “You’re a fucking thorn in a lot of people’s sides, Brock. Do you know that? A lot.” 

Eddie grimaced. “I get around.” Eddie said, his fists tightening. Talking wasn’t working; Godfrey wanted a fight, that much was obvious. He was already on thin enough ice as it was, legally anyway. Eddie found it surprising Carter was willing to risk another stain on his reputation, but money and power tended to make people stupid. If he wanted to trade blows, Eddie was certain Venom would rise to the occasion.

“So I think these gentleman would like to talk to you about it.” Godfrey gestured to his henchmen, grinning. “Vanya specifically.”

One of the thugs laughed, and cracked his knuckles. _That must be Vanya._ Eddie opened his mouth—or at least tried to, because Venom held it shut.

**_I am through playing games with these humans, Eddie._ **

He felt the symbiote flowing outward, over his skin, and June gasped, pressing herself against the wall. He lashed out with a single tendril, and knocked Carter unconscious, slamming his head against the bricks beside him. _You can’t kill Carter!_

_**“Understood.”**_ It was always a strange thing, giving up control to Venom, allowing the two of them to merge together into one, singular being. He could feel everything; see and hear and smell in greater detail than he’d ever been able to before. They stretched, new muscles popping as the two men cursed, fumbling as they looked for the weapons they’d hidden in their clothes.

_**”You like watching your boss pick on women, hmm?”**_ They asked, tongue curling around their jagged teeth. Vanya, the larger of the two, spat.   
  
“Fuck you, demon!” He lunged, knife in hand. They sidestepped him easily, catching him with a tendril of flesh. The man’s screams bounced off of the brick walls of the alley as they held him aloft, grinning endlessly. 

_**“Not a demon. We are Venom.”**_ Eddie felt a flush of shame at the pleasure that spread through them as they tore through his neck, blood pouring down their smooth chest as they chewed and swallowed. The sound of a gunshot, and a dull ache made them pause, dropping the headless corpse next to the dumpster. Godfrey’s other goon was standing over the socialite’s unconscious body, his hands trembling as he squeezed the trigger again. This time they were ready though, shielding themselves with a wall of hardened tissue. In three massive strides Venom had crossed the distance between them, grabbing him by the throat.  
  
His claws tore through muscle like a hot knife through butter, as even more blood splashed against their flesh. He dropped the other body near Godfrey, before turning to June. She was unconscious, slumped against the dirty brick wall. Near her shoulder was a fresh bullet hole, where one of the shots fired by Carter’s now dead lackeys had ricocheted. At that sight, Eddie found himself thrown out of their harmony. 

_Fucking shit, V._

_**“They attacked us, Eddie.”** _

_I know._ Eddie was still drunk, and slow on the uptake. _Fucking shit. Shit. And she saw us! She saw us bite that guy’s head off._ Eddie could feel panic growing in his chest, though Venom remained resolutely calm. The street was still empty, and the only living witness...was June. Though Eddie was fairly sure neither he nor Venom had any desire to permanently silence her, the problem remained that she had _seen_ them. After a moment, Venom bent down to gingerly sniff at June’s temple.   
  
**_”She is fine.”_**

Venom grasped her arm, mindful of their claws. _Wait, wait, wait. What the fuck are you doing, V?_

_**”If we leave her, June will be blamed. We should also figure out exactly how much she saw.”** _

Eddie found he couldn’t put up much of a fight in the state he was in, and Venom took off with June’s body, his claws leaving deep gouges in the brick as he climbed up the building they’d just vacated. **_“Her skin is soft, Eddie.”_**

_I feel it too._ Despite the circumstances, it felt... nice to hold another person. Though Eddie wasn’t sure if a light kidnapping while jumping from building to building counted as interpersonal intimacy, he was ready to lower the bar. 

And she smelled good—like coco butter. And then, suddenly, Eddie was thinking of Anne _again_. They’d been close to marriage, and even now, almost a year after the fact, it still made him feel like shit to think of it.

_**“We’re almost home.”**_ Eddie usually left the balcony unlocked for occasions like these, so that they wouldn’t have to risk transforming in public. It was late, and no one could see their dark form creeping up the fire escapes silently until they reached their apartment. Venom climbed inside, using a tendril to push open the door. _How long has she been out now? It’s not good to faint, if I recall correctly._

They laid June down on the couch, before turning to lock the balcony door. “Don’t worry. She’ll be awake soon,” Venom replied. At first, it had been strange how Venom could read other people’s bodies and relay that information to Eddie. He could smell the pheromones they emitted, hear their heartbeats before they were close enough to see him. He knew how many people were in a room, and how many weapons they had on them—it was amazing. 

So it was probably the largest surprise of their lives when Venom turned to find her gone. They hadn’t heard anyone go for the door, nor had they heard her get up or move around. So… where was she? June couldn’t have disappeared into thin air.

Right?

_**“Eddie. Humans do not possess teleportation capabilities, right?”**_ Venom asked, and Eddie mentally shook his head, though his physical body didn’t respond. _No. Well. Sometimes. Some people. But not a lot. And… probably not June._

_**“You’re inebriated and unhelpful, and you are making us unobservant.”** _Venom bit out, narrowing their eyes as they stared around the room. Her scent remained strong, as though she were still nearby. Wait—They narrowed their eyes at the couch. There was a slight indent, as though…someone were still sitting there. Venom lunged, and he heard June cry out, throwing herself just out of the way before he tackled her into the cushions.

**_“Isn’t this delicious?”_** Venom purred, their tongue snaking out to lick their lips hungrily. June didn’t answer, and they still couldn’t see her. Eddie wondered if she was holding her breath, so that they couldn’t hear her, either. _ **“Not up for a chat?”**_

They heard her move an inch to the right. “I’m not trying to get my head bitten off, so…no. I’m going to say no.”

_**“What are you?”** _

Venom waited, trying to pinpoint her location, but June remained still, her breathing still too quiet and even for them to hear. Venom frowned. They were growing tired of the game, and…they were still riled up from earlier. _How exactly do you expect that’s going to play out now, big guy?_ Eddie replied drunkenly. He was glad Venom was driving, considering how difficult of a situation he’d put them in. _I don’t see June jumping into our bed any time soon._

“June.”

At the sound of her name, Venom heard her breath hitch, and they saw a slight shimmer, just to the right of the balcony doors, and the lock clicked. They lunged, but June ducked out of the way quicker then they’d expected. Her footsteps moved quickly toward the door and it burst open ahead of her. June rounded the doorway quickly, speeding down the hallway and down the steps to the emergency exit. It was only Eddie’s resolve that kept Venom from going after her at full speed. They would have caught her, of course—but they also would have alerted every single person in the building to their presence.

_We can’t run down the hallway like this._

_**“Eddie, she knows.”** _

_That’s okay. Because we know her secret too,_ Eddie replied, Venom receding into him as they moved forward to close the door after her.

_June’s a mutant._

Just then, Venom’s eyes narrowed at the couch. **_“Eddie, what’s this?”_**

——

“What a shitty end to a great night.” June mumbled to herself. The taxi driver had his music up a little too loud, but that was fine with her. She needed some time to decompress.

Eddie Brock.

_Hot-ass Eddie-fucking-Brock_ was an eight foot tall cannibal. Her heart beat started to speed up, and for the fourth time she started to think about drafting the text to end all texts to Jeannie, but her brain kept scrambling the words. It was useless. She couldn’t tell anyone.

He’d… well, she hadn’t had a choice, had she? She’d had to use her powers. It was the only way to get out of there without having her head eaten by an insane monster reporter. He could pin the whole thing on her if he wanted to—and people would believe him. Eddie Brock was a trusted reporter, someone who brought the truth to the people even at his own expense—or so she’d believed. And who was she? June Martha Keirny, a fucking _nobody_ from Bushwick.

She couldn’t tell anyone.

“This is you.”

“Thanks.”

June got out of the taxi, half expecting the monster from the news to drop down in front of her. He didn’t, though. And June got the distinct feeling that she hadn’t been followed. She hurried into the apartment building, her keys in her trembling hands. _Eddie Brock is Venom. Holy shit._

She unlocked the door, swinging it open to reveal a dark living room. Jean had gone to bed long before, which was probably better anyway. She didn’t want to risk having a moment of weakness, and vomiting up all the details of her surprisingly dark evening to her friend. _I don’t think Carter saw much. He got knocked out pretty early._

June moved quietly through the apartment, before opening her bedroom door, and closing it quickly behind her, leaning against it. _It’s too bad he was such a good kisser._ She pinched herself. “Get it together. He ate people in front of you. And kind of kidnapped you, a little bit.” June tried to remind herself of what she’d heard about Venom, but there were surprisingly few facts, other than that he seemed to particularly enjoy decapitating criminals, and eating their heads.

That one she knew from experience.

June sat down on her bed, releasing the death grip she’d had on her bag. She hadn’t wanted to forget it, especially since her ID was in there, with her address. That would have been… very bad. June sighed, and leaned back against her pillows. _Oh. I should let Jeannie know I’m home. So she doesn’t burst in here in the morning, checking to see if I was murdered or not._ Yet another reason to keep the night’s events from her friend—June would have hated to admit to Jeannie that she was right about something. Even if June had managed to make a quick escape. And if she did _that,_ she’d be hearing about it until the both of them went into the cold ground. 

June reached into her bag, searching for her cell phone—but she didn’t feel it. “Weird.” She sat up, turning the bag over in her lap. Her wallet tumbled out, along with her house keys. But her phone wasn’t in there. “Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.” She went through the bag twice more, turning it inside out, hoping that she’d only missed the familiar weight of her phone, and not left it…

_I guess there’s a 50% chance I left it at the party, and a 50% chance I left it at his apartment._ Well there was no way in hell she was venturing back into the lion’s den to get it. _Too bad the lion’s a better kisser than literally every other tinder date I’ve had this month._ June shook her head to clear it. It didn’t matter how good Eddie was with his mouth—she’d seen the other things he could do with it.

Things she specifically didn’t want happening to her. June stripped off her clothes and wrapped herself in a towel, frowning when she touched her hair. It was dry and frizzy after the evening’s events, her type 4 curls were screaming for a deep condition and a hot oil treatment. Now that she’d sobered a little, she was cursing herself. She’d gotten it straightened and curled for the party, but since the rain had touched it, it had already shrank and curled halfway up her back. Oh well. It wasn’t like the style would have lasted, she had practice in the morning at ODC Theater, and none of the other dancers at the performing arts center would give a rat’s ass whether her hair was done or not.

June turned on the water as hot as she could handle it, and stepped in, again soaking herself from head to foot. She stood there for a moment, letting the water beat down on her head. Why is it that the only guys interested in me are assholes or monsters? She thought wryly, squirting a considerable amount of co-wash shampoo into her hands.

She rubbed it into her curls, detangling with her fingers. “Stop it June. Stop harping on it.” She said softly, closing her eyes and leaning back into the water. There wasn’t much she could do—he was stronger and faster than she was, and June wasn’t…. trained. Not like some of the others.

June shut off the water, and grabbed her towel, wrapping it around her torso before going into the cabinet next to the shower and grabbing a second towel for her hair. She brushed her teeth, and headed back to her bedroom. _At least I can still get my texts sent to my computer until I get a new phone_. At that thought, June opened the laptop on her desk, typing in her password.

Immediately the messenger app popped up, reading that she had at least ten missed texts. Two were from Jeannie, which June answered. The rest were from the ODC group chat, about class.

_Anybody know what time the practice block goes until?_

She let out a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding before closing her computer. It was fine. Her phone was probably at the hotel. Well, if none of the staff had taken a liking to it and pocketed it, which had been known to happen. June closed the computer, and shimmied into her most comfortable sweatpants and tank top before throwing herself onto her bed, facedown.

At least next week couldn’t be any worse, right?

—

“Did you hear? Carter Godfrey and two of his security guards were attacked last night! People are saying it’s Venom.” Jeannie was in the kitchen, sitting at the bar countertop and watching the television in the living room. June sighed, grabbing a piece of toast from her roommate.

“Yeah, uh, I… I heard.” Jeannie didn’t even know _June_ was a mutant. She couldn’t very well launch into the story when it also meant exposing herself. At least she could trust that Eddie was in much the same predicament.

“Glad we got out of there before he came. But it’s weird because usually it’s like… bad guys. The ones he kills, I mean.”

_Oh they were bad guys, alright._

“Yeah, weird.” June bit into her toast. “I lost my phone last night.” She said, rubbing her temples. Jeannie laughed, and then looked at her conspiratorially.

“Did you leave it at Eddie Brock’s house? Oh my god, how was he?”

“We didn’t… I hope to Christ I didn’t leave it there, because there’s no way in hell I’m getting it back,” June replied. Jeannie grimaced.

“What, was he an asshole? I’m not surprised. Those fame chasing guys always are.”

June wanted to remark that outside of eating actual human heads, Eddie hadn’t seemed like an asshole or a clout chaser, but it was easier to remain quiet and nod. So she did.

“Yeah. Anyway I’m totally reliant on email right now, so if you need me, that’s how it’s going to be. June stood from the counter and stretched. She was wearing leggings, and a baggy sweatshirt, her hair pulled into a messy bun at the nape of her neck. “I’m heading to class.”

“Okay. Oh, and the agency said we did a really good job. Might be another opening next weekend. You down?”

June wanted to say no, considering that only last night she’d had a terrifying run-in with the city’s most wanted—but she was going to have to buy a phone, and that was going to set her back considerably.

“Yeah, sure. I guess.”

June grabbed her bag, making sure she at least had her wallet and keys before heading out the door.

—

“Eddie, can I come in?”

There was a knock at his office door, and Eddie looked up from his computer. It was the editor in chief, Earl. He of course didn’t wait for Eddie to answer before entering and closing the door behind him.

“Good pictures, Brock.”

“Thank you, sir. I was just looking into the incident that happened after.” Eddie replied, knowing that that was what Earl had come to talk to him about. He didn’t like to beat around the bush; he was a blunt, frank man; and for the most part, Eddie enjoyed working for him. **_Their heads were delicious, and I do not regret eating them._**

Earl nodded, settling himself on the corner of Eddie’s desk.“That’s what I came to talk to you about. You should go down there. Take some pictures of the crime scene, there’s no way they’ve cleared it up yet.” He looked thoughtful, rubbing the stubbly white beard at his doughy chin. “Work it from the Venom angle.”

_**We were a little messy.** _

It was easier than people would think, chasing their own trail of clues. He’d written the past top three articles about Venom—and that was just that month. It wasn’t hard for Eddie to draft up a loosely worded, ambiguous OP ED about his own exploits. He always made sure to use sympathetic language—and point out that Venom’s presence, though “unacceptable” had made for a successful crime deterrent in the areas he frequented.

Eddie also found it hard to feel bad—Godfrey and his business partners were exactly the kind of people who deserved to be taken down, though he wished Venom had exercised just a little bit more discretion. What he _did_ feel bad about was June. She’d woken up a little faster than they’d planned, and… well she’d jumped to the conclusion that they had intended to eat her. Which, given the circumstances, wasn’t wholly unjustified.

**_We were going to. Just…not in the way she was thinking._**

_You got carried away._

“Wonderful. I really did mean it about the pictures, though. Would you mind working that red carpet event next weekend? Some fucking award show or other, I can’t be bothered. But we’ll need pictures. You can handle that, can’t you? I’ll throw in a pass to the afterparty, if you’re feeling froggy.”

Eddie chuckled, shaking his head. “I don’t know, sir. I’m not really a party guy.”

“Neither am I, and I’m twice your age.”

_I guess that’s that, then._

**_Why does he bother asking when he’s going to make us do it anyway?_** Venom asked irritatedly. Eddie got the express feeling that if he could, the symbiote would be crossing his arms.

_Probably because he can._

“No problem. I’ll be there.”

Earl moved to get up, and then turned back to Eddie. “By the way. What do you think of the Venom guy?”

Eddie smothered the urge to grin knowingly. “I think he’s trying to make it better.”

“Why eat people, then?”

“I guess he’s got to eat, too.”

Earl exited his office, closing the door firmly behind him. Eddie leaned back in his chair, his arms folded behind his head. The computer screen in front of him was covered in post-it notes about potential leads, articles he wanted to write, and ideas to pitch to Earl. 

**_I’m bored, Eddie._ **

_Find something to do, then._ He replied irritatedly. Usually he wasn’t so snappy with Venom—after all, it had to be boring, cooped up in Eddie’s head for an eight hour work day, with little else to entertain him if Eddie’s current course of action was less than interesting. But ever since the weekend, his hackles had been up. It had been almost three days since June had pulled her strange disappearing act, and Eddie was still racking his brain trying to figure out how she’d done it.

Was she a mutant? Or worse—was she some little known member of the Avengers there to do recon on them? Eddie felt his temples tighten as dull pain began throbbing behind his eyes, and he rubbed them futilely. **_We would not be so “stressed” if you took care of our base needs more efficiently._**

Eddie scoffed. “I feed you, I let you live in my head. What other needs do you have?”

**_If you attained sexual release at least three times per week, it would improve your concentration drastically. And also increase the flow of endorphins in your brain, lower your blood pressure, and we would sleep better._ **

Eddie raised an eyebrow in surprise. “What, you learn that on google?”

**_Yes_**.

“I take it you’re... not pleased about Saturday night, then?” Eddie replied amusedly, feeling the symbiote shift uncomfortably under his skin. “I wasn’t aware you were so invested in my sex life.”

**_Our sex life._ **

“Fair enough. She bolted after seeing us, V. What was I supposed to do? Hunt her down and then force her to fuck us?” Eddie began thumbing through a pile of papers on his desk, half written notes, printed emails, and random things scrawled so messily that Eddie had trouble deciphering his own handwriting. “Because that’s generally frowned upon in human society.”

**_“You’re upset about it too, Eddie.”_** Hearing Venom’s voice physically instead of internally shocked him, and Eddie whipped his head to the side, met by Venom’s perpetually grinning facade. 

“Of course I’m worried. She saw us, V.”

**“That is not the cause for your concern. You are worried she does not like us.”**

Eddie felt his cheeks redden, even as he shook his head in denial. “No, I’m worried she’s going to go to the friggin’ cops and get us locked up, that’s what I’m worried about.” He snapped, turning back to his blank computer screen. Most people were afforded the luxury of lying to themselves without consequence. _Most people don’t have an entire other person living in their fucking skulls, either._ Venom just... lacked certain human sensitivities, and Eddie still found it jarring.

_**“You are worried that she will be like Anne.”** _

“Okay, big guy, I think that’s enough self reflection for today.” Eddie said abruptly, pushing Venom’s face away from his own. He felt Venom retreat into him, frustrated, but at least silent. Why did it feel like he was arguing with his boyfriend, or something? The thought made him blush. 

Eddie groaned loudly in frustration as he massaged his now fully aching head. Thankfully, Venom continued to keep his commentary to himself, though he suspected Venom was purposefully allowing him to feel the pain. Even so, it was nice to feel alone, even if he really wasn’t. There were few subjects he felt uncomfortable talking even to Venom about, and Anne was still one of them. Even after everything that had happened, she’d still continued dating Doctor Dan—all while sending Eddie “innocent” texts and updates, even going so far as to ask his opinion on swimsuits for their vacation.

But when she’d found out that he was still bonded to Venom, she’d ceased contact all together. Eddie had a feeling she’d been interested in rekindling what they had, but she was scared of Venom—scared of what he could do—the danger he posed. If she’s trying to get me to unbond with V, she’s making a hell of a case for it. It was a feeling Eddie understood, certainly.

_**I believe that is called “manipulation”, Eddie.** _

“Come on, V. That’s not fair.”

_**Is forcing my host to eject me based on human morality fair?** _

“You’ve got a point, big guy.”

_**Eddie, I’m hungry.** _

“Lets see what’s open for delivery. And don’t break the bank.”

Eddie was more than ready to think about anything other than his depressing relationship status, and his lingering feelings for his now engaged ex-fiancee. It was obvious Venom was trying to help, as ham handed as it was. He appreciated the distraction; it was apparently easier to worry about an alien parasite chowing down on his liver than to daydream about getting back together with his ex, and weighing the personal sacrifice that would most assuredly take.

**_I am glad you are aware of my assistance._** Venom said smugly, before taking control of Eddie’s hands to add items to their cart.

“More than you know, big guy. More than you know.”

_To be continued..._


	2. Mouthwatering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Re-do.

Chapter 2

  
  


“This fucking getup is even worse than the last.” June whined, tugging uselessly at the skin tight mini-skirt, trying to pull it just an  _ inch _ further down her muscular thighs. They definitely were  _ not _ thinking of anyone like  _ her _ wearing that skimpy little number, which somehow managed to look even  _ more _ revealing on her than on any of her tall, slim,  _ proportionate _ friends. June was considerably curvier than any of them, and no matter how hard she worked out, or how many hours she packed into the dance studio, her thighs never seemed to get any smaller.

_ I wonder if they’ll mind if I just make myself disappear for the rest of the evening.  _ The tuxedo jackets the servers were forced to wear fit okay, although the blouse was a little tight. June turned to Jeannie, her lips pressed tightly together in frustration. “I look like the opening scene of a porno. And not a good one,” She replied miserably, but Jeannie shook her head. 

“It looks great. You look great. What are you so nervous about?”

“That someone will see my entire ass when this skirt rolls up?” 

“I have some garters in my purse, I think they’re pretty stretchy. Want to try?”

June groaned. “Jesus, Jean! Then I’ll  _ really _ look like a porn starlet. I’ll just… try to keep pulling it down.” She turned to look at her back in the mirror, before she pulled the skirt down just a little more. At least she was only required to show up for  _ this _ part of the festivities. June had taken a peek inside the indie film showcase just  _ before _ the party they were now working, and she was fairly glad she hadn’t been required to stay through some of those. 

_ “Indie” is definitely not synonymous with “good”.  _

June tried to think positive, calming thoughts. The likelihood of a repeat of the last event she’d worked was slim to none, and this event was much smaller, more intimate. And most importantly, there were too many important people there for.. _ it? him? _ —to just show up and cause a scene. June had noticed that Eddie had declined to eat the head of one Carter Godfrey—though his thugs had remained fair game. June shuddered a little at the grisly memory before swallowing thickly. 

In other words, there wasn’t any suitable prey, which—hopefully—meant June was safe. 

Probably. 

“Jay? Come on, they’ve got drink trays waiting for us.” 

June followed Jeannie out of the little locker room in the staff lounge and into the hotel lobby. The rules were the same as every time she’d ever moonlighted with this company:

Step one, Get your tray. 

Step two, Make your rounds. 

Step three, Look pretty. Don’t eat a single  _ fucking  _ thing, and don’t piss off the people with money. 

It was easy enough, except for the leering stares from the majority of the older men in attendance, which June bore with an irritated expression and little grace. The tray wasn’t too heavy though, and June had worked out a system—she’d balance it between her palm and her elbow, and hand out her drinks with her free hand. Occasionally, she’d have to sidestep a groping hand, or a sloppy drunk, but otherwise, it was mindless. The venue was nice enough, a private courtyard with cobblestone pathways, lined with tables and chairs for the  _ important _ guests to sit at. 

June cleared her tray, and headed back to the bar for a refill, wondering if anyone would notice if she snatched a shot for herself. “Filling up?” 

An older man with greying hair was leaned against the bar, his eyes traveling up and down June’s body lasciviously. She forced a smile. “Yep.” He scooted closer, and she groaned inwardly. What was it about having money that made these men feel like they could do whatever they wanted whenever they wanted? The bartender was still working on filling up her tray with multicolored shots, so for the time being, June was trapped. 

_ Ugh. He’s going to touch me.  _

He ran his finger down her arm, and June fought the urge to shudder with revulsion. “Come find me when you’re finished. I can make it worth your while.”

“Sure.” June answered, watching intently as the bartender placed the last of his twenty or so glasses onto the tray. “I’ve got to go now.” She hoisted it onto her shoulder, and walked away, hoping against hope that he wasn’t staring at her ass as she went. She hadn’t made it past the first curve in the walkway when one of the other girls flagged her down, pointing. 

“Can you do the other side of the garden? Kris is on break.”

“Yeah, sure.”

June walked around the tent with the bar, and headed down the other pathway.  _ At least this’ll be over in a few hours, and we can all go home.  _ June wasn’t expecting anyone else to make a shady move on her, she was moving around, not staying still for long. 

Which was why when a strangely familiar hand found it’s place at the small of her back, June let out a strangled gasp, and dropped the tray. The majority of the partygoers were already wasted, and few people noticed when she whirled around, her eyebrows knitted together. 

“Why do you assholes always think you can—”

**_“Hello, June.”_ **

A cold shiver worked it’s way down her spine. No. 

_ No, no, no, no.  _

Eddie Brock— _ Venom? _ —stood in front of her, a shit eating grin painting his handsome face.  _ He’s not supposed to be here.  _ “I can explain.” 

June, for her part, was equally shocked, and terrified. Had he known she would be here? Had he come for her? The words had barely left his lips, when June did the only sensible thing she could think of. She opened her mouth. 

“Are you here to eat more people?” She asked, and he barked out a laugh. He paused for a moment, as if he were listening to something she couldn’t hear, and he shook his head. 

“No. Not tonight.” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Listen, we should, uh, talk.”

June swallowed thickly. “Oh sure. We’ll go talk somewhere secluded and quiet, that way no one can hear me scream when you tear me limb from limb.” She snapped, scoffing. “At least here, people can see me. See  _ you. _ ” It was the only advantage she had. And it was easier for her to melt into a moving background rather than a still one. Harder to notice. 

Eddie’s demeanor changed, suddenly, and he stood taller, more imposing, his tone imperious.  **_“You don’t want everyone knowing you’re a—”_ **

June cleared her throat loudly. “Point taken,” She bit out, her voice clipped. Eddie—but… _ not  _ Eddie—smirked, his meaning well received. 

**_“Follow us.”_ **

“Us..?” His tone brokered little room for argument, and June absently picked up her silver platter from the ground, following behind him with measured steps. He led her behind the little brick building with the bathrooms, where earlier, Jeannie had ducked out for a cigarette. Now, though, it was empty. “You’re not going to pin the whole thing on me, are you?” She asked flatly, and Eddie laughed. 

_ Nice smile. No, no, June, you watched him eat two people’s heads. He does  _ **_not_ ** _ have a nice fucking smile.  _

“I wasn’t planning on it. But that’s not a bad idea, come to think of it.”

“Are you going to…eat my head?” She asked tentatively, her brows knitted together in confusion. He was being so… calm. June certainly didn’t feel calm. 

**_“Why would we do that?”_ **

“We?”

Eddie rubbed his temples. “You could at least let me explain without interrupting,” he snapped, and June jumped at the sudden change in tone. He looked up at her. “No, not you—ugh. Alright. So I have a… a…passenger. Not really a passenger. Okay, yeah, I get it, that was poor word choice. Jesus.” 

It seemed like he…  _ wasn’t _ talking to her. Like he was talking to someone else, someone June couldn’t see or hear. “Who… who are you talking to?”

Eddie sighed. “Venom. We… we share my body. He’s a symbiote.”

“Share?” June asked dumbly, acutely aware of the fact that everything coming out of her mouth was either a completely stupid question, or a biting sarcastic remark. “He’s a  _ what?” _ Just then, a dark stain appeared on Eddie’s shoulder. It was like a pen had burst, but it was… moving. 

**_“Hello, June.”_ ** His voice was smooth like oil. June  _ had _ met other mutants before, but this was… different. The slick, black mass of it— _ his?— _ flesh came up over Eddie’s shoulder, grinning at her with row upon row of pointed, white teeth.

“Holy shit.” June was struck with the insane urge to laugh. 

“And before you say anything, we were never going to… eat you.” 

**_“Not in the manner you’re thinking of, anyway.”_ **

“Venom!” 

**_“I thought honesty would be the best policy, Eddie.”_ **

June stared, slack jawed at their banter. “You have got to be fucking kidding me.” The both of them looked at her, Venom’s toothy grin widening. “So you’re… you go around the city  _ eating _ criminals.” She paused, thinking for a moment. “And you kidnapped me.”

“Only a little,” Eddie said, his tone an attempt at being placating. “If we left you, you could have been… you know, implicated. In the deaths.” 

“For someone who works with words, you’re not very good with them,” June replied, leaning her tray against the wall in order to place her hands on her hips. 

**_“You jumped to conclusions.”_ **

“You scared me!” June snapped, her voice louder than she meant it to be. Eddie made a face, and put his finger to his lips, and June held her hands up in apology. “You did, though. Fucking seeing the guy you were  _ just _ about to go home with turn into a monster and eat some guys heads would probably put a little doubt in  _ you _ too!”

Eddie nodded, rubbing his neck again. June was beginning to realize it was a habit of his. “Yeah. I mean… usually I’m pretty good at stopping him from going too far. But… he’s got to eat too.” June was at a loss. It was disturbing to say the least, but… she believed him. About not wanting to kill her, at least. “I promise it was a misunderstanding. Well, the us eating you part. Not the us eating  _ them _ part. Godfrey’s got a bad track record. And a violent one, when he’s feeling riled up enough. Trust me when I say they deserved it.”

“I’ll have to take your word on that one.” June replied. “Also, for the record, had you  _ not _ snatched up my unconscious body and taken it to your apartment, I probably wouldn’t have… you know. Thought you were going to murder me because I was a witness.” Eddie shook his head. 

“We can both attest that murder was the last thing on our minds.” His grin was a little cheeky, reminiscent of the flirting they’d engaged in only the week before. June’s cheeks warmed. Eddie’s eyebrows shot up, and he reached into his pocket. “Oh yeah, before I forget. I’m pretty sure this is yours.” 

He tugged her phone out of his jeans, looking a little sheepish. “I didn’t go through it, I promise.” June slapped a hand to her forehead, groaning. Of  _ course _ she’d left it there. 

“Oh my god. Thank you.” She took it from him gingerly, and tucked it into the inside pocket of her form-fitting tuxedo jacket. “Seriously, I was going to have to buy another one! Mainly because there was no freaking way I was going to go back to your place to get it.”

**_“Your abilities are interesting.”_ ** Venom interjected, inching closer to June’s face.  **_“Are all humans so… talented?”_ ** Eddie shot him a withering glare. 

“Sorry, he’s… not very good at being polite.” Eddie said through gritted teeth, glaring at Venom. For his part, the creature looked utterly pleased with himself, his toothy grin still plastered across his face. 

June shook her head with a wry smile. “I wouldn’t call it a talent. But no. Only some.”  _ Not to mention the government keeps a nice, close eye on you when they know you’re a freak.  _ “And the ones who are… we… we keep it to ourselves, mostly.” 

**_“I see.”_ ** Venom seemed contemplative, his mouth pressed into a thin line.  **_“Then this is a secret we will keep. For you.”_ ** June blushed. 

“Okay. I won’t… I won’t tell anyone either. As long as you keep eating  _ just _ the bad people. And…nobody I know.” She added. 

**_“Deal.”_ ** Eddie’s arm jerked up, outstretched as if she were meant to shake it. That inky black stain, the same as on his shoulder, seemed to flow out from his skin, covering his the exposed skin of his arm. June swallowed, nervously, before reaching out to shake the proffered hand. She expected his touch to be slimy and wet—but it wasn’t. His skin was cool and smooth, thrumming with energy, moving against her skin like a caress. 

“So…You turn invisible?” Eddie asked, his voice curious. It wasn’t as though June could deny it now—he’d  _ seen _ her disappear. Still, June was hesitant. Eddie saw her waffling, and his mouth fell open. “You’re really not going to tell me?”

June bit her lip. “I… I have to get back, the girls are probably all looking for me—” Eddie snorted before leaning against the wall, his arms crossed as he fixed her with an expectant look. 

“I showed you mine, you show me yours.” He grinned. And though June was fairly sure that he  _ wasn’t  _ making a joke about them doing it. He wouldn’t be. June was  _ also _ pretty certain that the stunt with Carter Godfrey’s goons had ruined that opportunity. She swallowed thickly. “It’s only fair.”

“Fine. But I don’t turn invisible.” June corrected sharply, crossing her arms. “I sort of… blend in.” She lowered her voice, and looked around, just to be sure that no one was watching them. Though Eddie probably would have noticed any intruders by then, June was still nervous saying it out loud in such a populated venue. “See?” She placed her hand against the brick outer wall of the bathroom. With only a little effort, her flesh shifted colors, blending quickly with the dull, rusty red of the bricks. June thought briefly about whether she should show him  _ all _ of it, but then shrugged inwardly.  _ In for a penny, in for a pound I guess. _ “And I’m… I’m a mimic.”

“A what?” Eddie interjected, arching an eyebrow. “You make noises?”

June scoffed, rolling her eyes. “I can repeat anything I hear, in exactly the voice it was said in,” She said, absently tugging down her tight, pleather skirt. 

**_“How useful.”_ ** Venom purred, and June was acutely aware of the fact that the symbiote— _ that’s what Eddie called him, right? _ — was all she could see, he was so close. She took a tiny step back. 

“Yeah, comes in handy sometimes. It’s, uh, how I tricked you. With the doors.” Venom chuckled, his grin even wider. “I just made a lock clicking sound.” 

**_“It was a good trick.”_ **

“Yeah. You’re like a cool chameleon.” 

June rolled her eyes. “Don’t start.” 

Eddie laughed, and June found herself smiling too. It felt kind of  _ good _ to tell someone. Someone who understood, at least. Eddie wasn’t exactly like her, but it  _ was _ similar. 

Suddenly, Eddie tensed, and he held up a finger to silence the both of them. 

“June? June? You back here, hon?” 

_ Oh fuck me. _

June wasn’t sure who was looking for her, but if it was a manager, it definitely wouldn’t be prudent for her to be caught back there, with him. Utterly alone, and with an empty drink tray to boot. 

“I’m going to get fired.” She whispered. Venom had disappeared back into Eddie’s body, and now, visibly, at least, it was just the two of them. Eddie grasped her hand, and tugged her forward, around the corner and into the bathroom. He fiddled with the door, looking for a lock that wasn’t there. “It’s not a single person bathroom, Eddie!” She hissed, grabbing his hand. Eddie’s eyebrows shot up as shock—and then worry—flashed across his face. 

“In here.” June raced down the line of stalls, stopping at the furthest one. Eddie was close behind her, crowding into the stall behind her. June turned to hiss at him to find his own hiding place, but he shook his head quickly, shushing her. June rolled her eyes, and made to exit the bathroom stall, but the sound of heels clacking against the stones stopped her. It was muffled, but loud enough that June knew they’d get caught if she kept it up.

And god would  _ that _ be embarrassing. 

June felt his breath on the back of her neck and shivered. _Of course he’d be literally an inch away from me._ June’s thoughts were disrupted when the bathroom door opened, and the woman called her name again. 

“June? Honey you in here?” It sounded like Cheryl—the woman who kept calling Jeannie for gigs. It would be worse than just  _ her _ getting in trouble—Jeannie could lose her connection. And the guilt of costing Jeannie jobs, well… June bent slowly to peek out of the crack between the door and the frame, checking to see if Cheryl was getting any closer. The woman walked just a few steps into the bathroom, and sighed heavily. “Where  _ is _ that girl?” She asked, her voice echoing in the—almost—empty bathroom. She swept out, and the door swung shut behind her, the hydraulic hinges hissing as it slid gently to a close. 

June let out the breath she was holding. “Oh my god.” She expected a witty quip from Eddie—or even a snide comment from Venom—but he was completely silent and motionless behind her. She turned to peer over her shoulder at him, but Eddie wasn’t looking at her. He was staring down, his gaze locked on something else. June followed his gaze and—

_ Oh no. _

Her skirt had ridden up, just like she’d feared it would. Only, it wasn’t a weird old rich guy with a penchant for girls in costumes—it was  _ Eddie _ who was staring at her. And staring  _ hard _ . June was almost afraid to move. The tight, pleather skirt that was her uniform for the night had inched up her hips, exposing the curve of her ass to his gaze. She wasn’t sure if Venom was whispering naughty things in his ear in that sinfully deep voice, or if he was simply mesmerized by the view—the latter being incredibly validating. 

June moved to pinch the hem of the skirt and pull it back down, but Eddie’s hand few up, catching her by her wrist. The movement was inhumanly fast, and she had to wonder whether or not it was Eddie who had initiated it. His eyes lifted to hers. 

“ ’S a pity you never took me up on my offer.” He said softly, scrubbing a hand down his face, scratching at the attractive stubble on his chin. June swallowed thickly, craning her neck to lock him in his face through her curtain of curls. 

“I did. I went back to your apartment with you. I left, remember?” She said tartly. Eddie chuckled. And then Venom spoke with his mouth. 

**_“Oh yes. We remember. You left us… quite unsatisfied.”_ ** He purred, and June shuddered, tugging against his hold on her. He— _ they?— _ let go after her second insistent pull, looking at her hungrily, though her made no move to restrain her again. June quickly tugged her skirt down, and turned to face him fully. Eddie looked just as appreciatively at her front, and June found herself making peace with the medium sized top they’d given her.  **_“You left unsatisfied too. We can smell it.”_ ** June blushed, and frowned, though she had to admit they were right.  **_“We can change that.”_ **

June looked up at him, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. Of course she wanted to—but she had to finish what was left of her shift. Getting caught in the bathroom wasn’t the most attractive prospect—no matter how good she suspected it would feel to get pressed up against the cool tile and—

“Okay. But  _ after _ my shift.  _ After. _ ” She emphasized, upon seeing the disappointment grace his handsome face.. “When I’m off, I’ll show you mine.” He grinned, his hand skirting down her side, and over her hip. 

“Can’t wait.” He leaned forward with a growl, catching her lips with his. June’s hands fisted in his t-shirt, and she moaned, unable to help herself. Eddie sucked her bottom lip into his mouth as his hand squeezed her hip, the tips of his fingers digging into her ass.  _ Oh fuck me.  _ June wrapped her arms around his shoulders, kissing him back full force. 

_ Work. Job. I have to… Fuck I just want to stay here.  _ Maybe it  _ wouldn’t _ be so bad to just stay a little longer, and let them have her in the bathroom stall. Sure, she’d be more comfortable in a bed, but  _ damn _ was it tempting. June placed a reluctant hand on their chest, and Eddie sighed audibly, but pulled back.

“After." 

Eddie licked his lips and nodded, his eyes sliding down her body hungrily. 

“We’ll meet you out front.” 

——

Eddie was ashamed to admit that he’d jerked off to her. Even admitting it to himself seemed kind of… embarrassing, especially considering that Venom,  _ well _ …

He’d done what he did best—encouraging Eddie. 

**_I bet she’s tight._ **

He’d said that while Eddie grasped their dick in the shower, stroking himself as he imagined her tight pussy wrapped around their cock. Eddie couldn’t help but think that now, as they stood in the brightly lit bathroom stall. 

**_No one’s coming. We could just do it now. No one would even see._ ** Their eyes were locked onto the exposed flesh underneath her skirt.  _ God, her ass is fucking fantastic.  _ June moved to tug her skirt down, but Venom caught her hand.  **_Eddie do you smell how wet she is?_ **

_ No. _

**_Well I can,_ ** Venom snapped.  **_She wants us too. It would be so easy—_ **

  
  


_ No. She said to wait, so we’re waiting.  _ It was rare that Eddie put his foot down with Venom—more often than not, they wanted the same things, felt the same way about generally everything. But even  _ if _ they were able to convince June to let them have her delicious body right there in the bathroom, it probably wouldn’t be good for her in terms of continuing to have a job. Venom growled in frustration, but released her from his grip when she pulled away. Venom had been rather apathetic about the last person Eddie had slept with, so to feel him so adamantly involved was… strange. The last person Venom had been remotely interested in was Anne—but Eddie wasn’t sure if that particular inclination was because of his own preoccupation with getting her back.  _ Which in and of itself is looking more and more unlikely.  _

June made him wait for ten minutes in the bathroom, and then he emerged, after making sure there was no one around to see him. June was lucky—her powers made her hard to detect. She could slip into a crowd and pretend she’d always been there. Eddie had to actually  _ try _ , though when they were Venom, it was easy to slip into the shadows, and not be noticed. 

He snapped a few more lackluster pictures, Venom’s antsy mood seeping over into Eddie. “Excuse me, Eddie Brock?” Inwardly, he groaned. He turned, to see an older woman—white, blonde, with sharp, though beautiful features. He knew her—this was Edna Kitredge; one of the chairs on the board for the network he  _ used _ to work for. They’d tried to buy him back a few times, after the Carlton Drake story had hit, but Eddie—and Venom—wanted nothing more to do with them. 

“Oh it  _ is _ you,” she said, her tone overly sweet. “I had been wondering what you’d been getting up to down there at the Times.” 

**_Here comes the pitch._ **

_ I know. Ugh. _

“Oh, you know.” Eddie replied. “The usual. Good to see you, Edna. You look great.” 

“Thank you, Eddie. You always were a charmer. I was going to ask, wouldn’t you reconsider—” the rest of her statement was lost as Venom directed their gaze  _ behind _ Edna. 

**_Look, June._ **

And suddenly, Eddie was no longer paying attention. Though it was pretty clear that June was less than pleased with her uniform for the evening, but Eddie had to admit that she looked  _ damn _ good in it. 

**_Good enough to eat, am I right, Eddie?_ **

_ Fucking right.  _ Eddie realized that Edna was still talking—her voice had become a monotonous drone in the back of his mind. And though Venom was fairly good at reigning in his more homicidal urges, Eddie could feel his temptation to snap off her head and be done with it. But since he wasn’t drunk this time, it was much easier to calm Venom’s irritability. 

_ What are you so worked up over?  _

Venom didn’t answer. Even without Venom’s weird fixation on June, he was in no mood to stand a minute more of the older woman’s saccharine offer.  _ No, _ he wasn’t going to come back and do the show again, and  _ no _ , he wasn’t interested in being an anchor on their news program. 

“I’m so sorry, Edna, you’ll have to excuse me,” Eddie replied, and he turned on his heel and walked off. He heard her grunt irritatedly behind him, but ignored it as he watched June lean against the bar.  _ I have to hand it to you, _ Eddie admitted.  _ She  _ **_is_ ** _ pretty.  _ Venom “hmph”ed haughtily. 

**_I know._ ** **_I_ ** **_picked her._ ** Eddie decided to ignore the underhanded jab. Eddie had regretted not protesting harder against this assignment when he’d first arrived on the red carpet, but now, there was a brand new silver lining in this festering wound of an evening. And for once, it would be nice not to spend a miserable night wishing there was a body next to his. And though it wouldn’t be the one he was used to, at that point, it felt like almost anyone would do. 

**_Not anyone._ **

_ You’re turning out to be real choosy. _

**_And you’re apparently an easy fuck, Eddie._ **

He couldn’t help but bark out a laugh, and hope that no one wondered why he was standing stock still in the middle of the pathway as people moved around him, giggling. 

“You know, now that I know? It’s super obvious when you’re doing your whole internal dialogue thing.” June’s voice startled them out of their conversation, and Eddie looked at her sheepishly. Her curly hair was loose around her head, and a strand fell across her eyes. She swept it away, smirking. 

“I’m an open book.”

“If you were a book, you’d be in the restricted section.”

“Wow, was that a Harry Potter reference? How embarrassing for you.” 

June looked like she was fighting a smile. “Bold of you to imply I’m ashamed.” She ran a hand through her hair. “Well, It’s dying down now, and I’m getting off a little early on account of my migraine.” She pointed at her head, her tone sarcastic. 

“You’re welcome, you giant brat.” 

**_The roommate._ **

Venom’s memory was impeccable. It was the same one who’d checked on June just before she’d agreed to let him take her home, the redhead.  _ I wonder if she models. _

“Migraine?” Eddie asked, looking between the two of them. June rolled her eyes. 

“Mastermind here decided to get me off the hook.” Jeannie, who looked pretty pleased with herself, raised an eyebrow at June. “Yeah, yeah. Thanks. I owe you one.”

“I’ll remember that the next time you say you can’t spot me a dime bag.” Jeannie replied, and June scowled, and rolled her eyes again, folding her arms. She

rounded on him next, her brows knitted together as she studied his face. Eddie swallowed a little nervously. She seemed pretty protective of June, from what he could tell; and he wasn’t sure what exactly June had told her. After a moment, it seemed Jeannie had decided they were acceptable, and nodded at June, who was rubbing her temples irritatedly. 

“I will text you, Jean.” She said through gritted teeth. “I’m going to go change and get my bag.” 

“I just love you and don’t want you to get murdered.” Jeannie quipped, and June laughed, before glancing at Eddie. 

“I don’t think that’s going to happen. Well, not this time, at least.” She grinned sheepishly, and Eddie coughed to cover up a laugh. Now that he wasn’t worried the police were going to storm in and arrest him—which Venom would  _ never  _ let happen—it was kind of...comical. 

He watched her fade away into the crowd, her hips swaying. Jeannie went with her, shooting one more suspicious glance at Eddie.  _ If only she knew. _ Eddie had declined to drink this evening—he’d rode his bike to this event, and if there was one rule he still followed, it was this one. Venom was perfectly capable of steering them, he knew the controls as well as Eddie did. But… 

Still.

He moved toward the exit, keys in hand. It would probably be easier for June to find him outside.  _ Fuck. I don’t even have her number.  _

**_Good going, Eddie._ **

_ Hey, it’s not like you remembered either! _

“Oh good, you’re out here.” June was leaned against the doorway, a large cloth tote bag over her shoulder. She was wearing an oversized white t-shirt, with the front tucked into a pair of jean shorts. 

**_“You seem shorter.”_ ** Venom said amusedly, and June huffed. 

“I can’t wear four inch heels all the time, you know,” She replied, crossing her arms. The action pushed her breasts up against the loose collar of the shirt, and they licked their lips, eyes locked onto the bit of exposed flesh. Eddie was overcome with the sudden desire to follow the line between her cleavage with his tongue—but he wasn’t sure if that was because of his unfulfilled desires—or Venom’s. 

**_“A pity, that.”_ **

Venom lifted their arm, offering June their hand.  **_“We hope you like motorcycles.”_ ** Anne hadn’t particularly enjoyed riding, though Eddie had tried his best to get her to have fun. She’d indulged him by buying a helmet, but he knew she wasn’t getting the same rush of exhilaration he did; doing ninety on the freeway, his hands gripping the accelerator. He waited for the soft letdown, the “maybe next time”, and the inevitable endless walk back to his side of town—but June nodded, grinning at him. 

“My older brother rides.” She said, looping the long strap of her cloth tote across her body. “I’ve ridden with him a few times.” 

Eddie jerked his head in the direction of his bike, unable to keep the proud smirk off of his face. He’d replaced the bike that Carlton Drake’s thugs had utterly destroyed; it was a sleek Suzuki, all black.  **_Do you smell that, Eddie?_ **

_ No. What do you smell?  _

**_Her._ **

“That her?” She asked, clearly impressed. 

“You know about bikes?”

“Not much,” she admitted. “I just… like riding fast.” 

**_Fuck me, Eddie._ ** Eddie cleared his throat. June’s face was placid, as though she had  _ no idea _ the image she’d just planted in his head. Then her eyebrows shot up, and she covered her face with her hand. “Drive. Drive fast.” June amended, but it was too late. Eddie felt Venom hook their fingers into her waistband, tugging her close. June didn’t resist, wrapping her arms around her neck as he brushed her lips with his. 

“This is okay, right?” He asked, and though Venom seemed to think that her scent—whatever that was—was evidence enough of what she wanted, Eddie still wanted to be sure. No questions, or…issues like last time. 

“Yeah, this is okay.” 

They kissed her fully then, and Venom slid into the driver’s seat with Eddie, their actions perfectly coordinated. Eddie realized, suddenly, what it was that Venom had been smelling, able to detect it now that they were almost completely merged.  _ She’s wet. _ He realized. Maybe she didn’t even know it yet.  **_Hurry up. Home._ **

They broke the kiss reluctantly, with Venom noting—his tone rather pleased—that June’s small hands were fisted in his shirt. 

**_“Let’s go.”_ ** They said, pulling her toward the bike. June followed, nodding. They unlocked the topbox just behind the seat, and removed his helmet. He handed it to June.  **_“You wear this. We’ll be fine.”_ ** June took it, and put it over her head, pulling the visor down. 

“Woah. Never worn one of these before. My brother always let me use his goggles.” June giggled, her voice slightly muffled. 

They frowned disapprovingly.  **_Her brother is a fool._ ** Venom was so close to emerging that underneath Eddie’s clothes, he seeped out through his pores, sliding across his skin. He was eager to take control and move things along himself—and Eddie saw no reason to object. They sat astride the motorcycle, and motioned for June to get on behind them. June wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing herself against his back.  **_“You will be safe with us.”_ ** They replied, some of their inky black flesh seeping through the fibers of his clothing to wrap themselves around the soft skin of her thigh, effectively tethering her to their body. 

If seeing Venom’s flesh wrap around her own upset her, June gave no indication. They heard the little hitch in her breath when he tightened his grip and started the motorcycle, kicking it into gear. Her heart was beating wildly against their back, her arms tight around him from excitement. 

“I’m ready.”

**_“Then let’s go.”_ ** They pushed off from the curb, sliding smoothly into traffic. 

“We’re gonna go downhill,” he warned her, just so that she would be ready for the drop—and the increase in speed as they coasted. June let out one loud, excited laugh just as they crested the first hill, leaning with them as they weaved between the cars. It helped that Venom was so coordinated, his timing impeccable. They almost groaned when June’s thighs tightened against theirs, and her soft breasts pressed against his back as they descended another slope. When they pulled up outside of the apartment building, they wasted no time practically lifting June off of the bike. 

  
  


“Woah, I’m coming, I’m coming.” June replied, pulling the helmet off. She ran a hand through her windswept curls, rearranging errant locks of hair. 

**_Not yet she’s not._ **

_ Eager, are we?  _

Eddie was again struck by how insistent Venom was being—but once something had piqued the symbiote’s interest, it seemed difficult for him to let it go; much like Eddie. June grinned up at them. 

“I’ve gotta say, I think this was a much nicer trip than being slung over your arm and swung through the city.”

“You were unconscious for all, if not most, of that,” Eddie groused, and they rolled their eyes. June laughed. 

“That’s true. I just had major neck pain the next day, so I’m gonna assume it wasn’t the most comfortable trip for me.” She twisted a lock around her finger, tugging it before releasing it. 

They grasped her hand, and pulled her toward the entrance, nodding at the doorman who only glanced up from his magazine to check them out. They punched the elevator button insistently, before licking their lips. June was short, her curves accentuated by just a  _ bit _ of muscle, her brown skin vibrant and glowing even in the florescent light of the building’s entrance. 

The elevator doors slid open, and June stepped in, and they followed close behind, their hands already firm at her waist. She licked her lips, peering around him—likely at the surprised face of the security guard, who Venom noted was staring as the doors slid shut again. They tugged her against them as the ascent began. 

**_So soft._ **

June opened her mouth to them readily, a light moan escaping her throat.  _ Fuck.  _ Their hands crept under the hem of her shorts, massaging her thighs. Venom overrode Eddie’s modesty—which was hanging on by a scrap regardless—and guided their hands to the cheeks of her ass, pushing up underneath her shorts to squeeze them, just as they’d wanted to do earlier. June moaned, breaking the kiss as she gasped for breath. 

The elevator dinged again, and the doors weren’t even fully open before they were pulling her forward, their fingers threaded through hers. Eddie felt his pulse roaring in his ears as they unlocked the door—he was glad Venom was the one directing that action, he probably would have dropped his keys. He was semi-hard already, which in and of itself was a little embarrassing—it had been so long since he’d even  _ wanted _ to touch another person, it was almost overwhelming how much he wanted to touch June.

Preferably with no clothes on, and her thick, dancers thighs wrapped around his head. 

June tossed her bag onto the counter as they passed, and Eddie opened his mouth to offer her a drink, but Venom stopped him.

**_No. No more small talk. You’re making us look stupid._ **

_ Said the symbiote who’s been trying to get into her panties from the moment we met.  _

Venom chuckled. 

**_Weren’t you just thinking about sticking our tongue in her—_ **

“Not to, um, spoil the mood or anything, but… where’s your bathroom?” June asked, a slight apologetic smile playing on her lips. “I’ll be fast, I promise.” 

“Through that hallway, second door on the left.”

Eddie tugged off his jacket, hanging it on a hook near the door. He hadn’t been living in this apartment all that long—he’d moved, once he’d gotten enough paychecks from the paper. And not a moment too soon, he was pretty sure Venom was plotting to eat their next door neighbor. 

He walked past the bathroom and into his bedroom, hurriedly tidying up before June walked in. He tossed clothes into the laundry basket in his closet, before tugging up the comforter. He heard the bathroom door swing open, and walked into the hallway to meet June. 

“You want something to drink?” He asked, heading back towards the kitchen. “I have whiskey. And beer.”

“Whiskey, absolutely.” June replied, following him. “Can you make it a double?” She asked, grinning. “It’s been… a day.” Eddie moved to grab two glasses out of the cabinet above the sink, and June settled herself onto the couch. 

**_“You want ice?”_ ** They asked, and June nodded. Venom emerged from Eddie, staring at June contemplatively. Eddie could feel the symbiote’s curiosity, his interest.  **_“When did you know that you were—”_ **

“A mutant?” June cut him off, and shrugged. “I remember playing hide and seek with my brothers. And then…not being able to stop hiding.” There was a strange level of comfort between them now, one that was comfortable, but also… foreign. They had never been able to be….open about  _ anything _ with  _ anyone _ since Anne. And since she wanted almost nothing to do with them, it made being themselves…a challenge. But… June knew their secret.

And they knew hers. 

It was a safety net, for both of them. 

“And then I reappeared in the living room, and my mom passed out.” She laughed, shaking her head. She took a sip of her whiskey, shuddering a little as it burned down her throat. Eddie did the same, though they were used to the feeling. “How’d you guys meet?” 

They laughed. **_“Carlton Drake’s rockets found something they did not anticipate.”_ **

“I’ll bet.” 

**_“We foiled his plot to annihilate all of humanity.”_ ** June met their casual admission with a blank stare. She blinked, and took another sip of her drink. 

“I bet you could put that on your resumé.” She replied after a moment, and they let out a loud laugh. 

**_“The Avengers would be lucky to have us.”_ ** It was particularly funny, given Venom’s… aversion to teamwork with anyone outside of themselves. June laughed too, pushing a stray strand of hair out of her face. 

“I dunno, I don’t think they let you eat people in that club.” June replied, fixing him with a mocking glare. “You may be forced to reconsider.” She set her empty glass down on the coffee table, and Eddie moved to down the rest of their drink. Suddenly, June’s phone buzzed, and she looked at him apologetically. “One sec.”

She got up and walked over to the kitchen counter, rummaging through her purse as she tried to stop it from ringing. They admired the view; June bent slightly at the waist, her legs crossed at the ankles as she leaned against the counter, her dark hair swept over one copper shoulder. She silenced it, and headed back over to the couch, but before she could sit down, they grasped her wrists, and tugged her into their lap. June let out a surprised yelp, before situating herself, knees resting on either side of their thighs. Their hands rested on her hips, her skin warm to the touch. 

They leaned forward, until their nose was just a hairs breadth from her skin. They inhaled, moving slowly up her neck until their lips were close enough to brush her ear.  **_“Are you ready to show us?”_ ** June’s breath hitched, and the leather of the sofa creaked beneath her hands as they tightened at their suggestion. 

“As I’ll ever be.” 

**_“Good.”_ ** They purred, licking their lips.  **_“We want to see_ ** **_everything._ ** ” They kissed her again, their hands already underneath June’s thighs, massaging them. She moaned, grinding down against them, one small hand braced on their broad shoulder. Her voice was melodic, almost hypnotic. They ran their nose over the smooth curve of her neck, inhaling deeply.  **_She smells like earth, and rain._ **

June balanced one hand against their shoulder as she ground down, pressing the warm seam of her shorts against the growing bulge in Eddie’s jeans. They grasped her hips, growling. There were veins of black running up and down their arms, and their hands were entirely black, their fingers ending in wicked claws. June paused only for a second as she took in this change, studying their demeanor before gently kissing the side of their jaw as their hands tightened on the soft flesh of her ass. 

**_“We hope you’re not afraid.”_ **

“Nervous, yeah, a little. But I’m not afraid.” She replied honestly, steadily meeting his gaze. Her face was a little flushed, and her lips slightly swollen, but her expression was calm. Venom overrode Eddie, and grasped her chin, stroking his thumb down her soft cheek. 

**_“Good.”_ **

Venom slid along Eddie’s skin excitedly, holding her face still as he kissed her, his other hand grasping her hip almost tight enough to bruise, dragging her back and forth across their erection. June kissed them back, her tongue sliding along the seam of their lips seductively. They opened their mouth and she explored it eagerly.  **_Yes…_ **

June’s little green bikini had been a starring feature in quite a few of Eddie’s most recent fantasies—specifically of her dancing  _ just _ for them in said bikini—but the lacy white bra peeking out from underneath the collar of her shirt was proving to give it a run for the its money. They stripped off her shirt, wanting to get a better look. June lifted her arms, allowing him to pull it off over her head. 

**_“Delicious.”_ ** They leaned forward to run their tongue along the line of her throat, their hands finding the hardened nubs of her nipples, pinching and rolling them in their fingers. June moaned, arching her back, pressing her breasts harder into their waiting hands.  **_“Everything about you is soft,”_ ** they murmured, clawed fingertips trailing over her skin, leaving goosebumps and reddened lines in their wake. They stopped to nibble at her earlobe, purring with lustful satisfaction. They could feel the heat of her through their clothes, and the heady scent of her arousal was practically dripping from the air around them.  _ No wonder you’ve been so eager. _

They leaned down to wrap their tongue around her nipple through her bra, and June gasped, her body stiffening in their grip as they pulled on it with their teeth.  _ Anne never liked it when I was rough.  _

**_Do not think about her right now, Eddie. Not when I can make our lovely guest make noises like_ ** **_this_ ** **_…_ ** A single clawed digit slipped into the heated crotch of June’s jeans. Eddie’s thoughts were scrambled as Venom stroked the hot, wet patch on June’s panties chuckling audibly as she moaned.  **_“So wet already, June?”_ ** He asked tauntingly, as Eddie brought their other hand up to cup her other breast. 

June didn’t answer, but she bent her head forward to lave a kiss against his neck, her hips moving against his hand. There was a jolt of unexpected pleasure as she nipped the sensitive flesh. Their hips jerked, and they rasped out a loud breath.  **_“Do it again.”_ ** June sank her teeth into his neck a little harder this time, and they groaned heavily, dragging her back and forth against their cock. She raked her nails down his chest, and they grinned, licking their lips. If they could have looked in the mirror, Eddie would have been shocked by their appearance. His eyes had glazed over with white, the stark black lines indicating Venom’s presence had spread up his neck, onto his cheeks. But June gave no indication that she was concerned or afraid, so it didn’t cross their mind. 

“Hold on,” she murmured, pulling away. Venom was unable to help loosing a little warning growl—they weren’t keen on being left hanging  _ again.  _ Especially not after having gone so far. But Eddie pulled back, allowing her to sit up. If Venom was any indication, his race were a physical lot—words meant little without action behind them. He felt that June was getting ready to disappear again, her actions a play for dominance. 

_ No, V. Just look.  _

June reached back behind her, eyes locked on theirs, before unclasping her bra, and letting it slide down her arms, flinging it onto the floor.  **_We could have removed that for her._ ** He grumbled, but nonetheless, eyed her breasts appreciatively. Venom slipped their forefinger inside of her panties. The tip of their claw pressed against her clit, and June’s hips jerked against their hand. 

“Bed?” She murmured, her almond shaped eyes lidded. June was soaking wet against their fingers, the soft, swollen flesh of her pussy throbbing. They nodded, but didn’t move immediately, instead, they sunk two fingers into her wet heat, curling them inside her. June gasped and moaned, a curse escaping her lips.  **_“We knew you would be tight.”_ ** They growled, pumping their fingers in and out of her slowly, reveling in the feeling of her heated flesh wrapped tightly around them. They dragged their fingers out of her soaked center, and June watched, panting, as they purposefully sucked her juices from their fingers, groaning.  **_“Sweet.”_ **

They tugged her to her feet, and pulled her down the hallway toward the bedroom. They stripped off their shirt, before kicking out of their jeans. June’s eyes drifted downward, lingering on the sizable erection pressing against the seam of their boxers. Venom palmed their cock through the fabric, grinning as June bit her lip.  **_“Take that off.”_ ** Their voice was commanding, and June’s fingers popped the button on her shorts, following the order they’d given her. She shimmied out of her bottoms, before kicking them off. Venom continued stroking themselves as they watched her fingers hook underneath the sides of the lacy boy shorts she wore. They could smell her from  _ there, _ dammit; the sweet, musky smell of her arousal setting their teeth on edge. 

June had barely finished wiggling out of her underwear when they were upon her, kissing her and nibbling at the soft skin of her neck with abandon. They shredded their boxers, sharp claws tearing through the flimsy fabric as they sought to rid themselves of it. They walked her backward until June’s knees hit the edge of the bed. 

**_“On your knees.”_ ** They saw June’s throat constrict as she swallowed roughly, licking her lips.  **_“You like it when we tell you what to do,”_ ** They observed, openly admiring the curve of her ass as she bent over, crawling forward.  **_“Spread your legs. We want to see.”_ ** They repeated, absently stroking their cock as they watched June’s caramel thighs part. Her pussy was glistening pink and swollen, and they noted with a salacious smirk that they could see wetness glistening on her inner thighs. Though they hadn’t asked her to, June slowly—almost shyly—brought her hand up to spread her folds open for their viewing pleasure. 

They groaned, squeezing the base of their cock in their hand for a few seconds, before grasping June’s hips. They held her still as they bent their head, burying their tongue in her wet heat. She jerked in surprise, crying out, but they were relentless, holding her thighs tightly as their lips wrapped around her swollen clit. 

“Fuck! Eddie—” Her voice rang in their ears, they snarled, rolling the sensitive numb between their teeth. She cried out, her hips pushing back against their face as she came suddenly, soaking their chin. They cleaned her thoroughly—almost lazily, and June’s thighs trembled with the effort of keeping her up. They turned her over, and she stared up at them with heavily lidded eyes. 

**_“You taste delicious.”_ ** They purred, licking the remainder of her juices from their lips as they settled between her thighs. June held her arms out, beckoning. 

“Please..?” she murmured breathily, and they chuckled, unable to stop themselves from drawing it out just a little more. 

**_“How greedy.”_ ** They replied, smirking down at her. June scowled, and petulantly turned away, but they grasped her chin in their hands.  **_“Beg.”_ **

“Please, Eddie?” She asked, bucking her hips against his. She smirked triumphantly when her efforts caused their rock hard cock to push against her throbbing cunt, their head sliding easily through her folds. June keened quietly, and Eddie half wanted to give it to her— _ fuck she was so wet and hot for it _ —

Venom held fast.  **_“We said beg, June.”_ **

“Please fuck me… Please?” 

They shook their head.  **_“Tell us what you need, June.”_ ** Their tone was commanding, and she writhed underneath them. 

“I need your cock inside me,” she said slowly, her dark eyes meeting theirs. “I want to—ah!” June groaned as they pushed inside her, the head of their cock slipping just into her tight entrance. June’s pussy was tight and warm as it pulsed wetly around them. Eddie wanted nothing more than to drive himself into that slick, soft, warmth, but Venom had other ideas. He stopped their hips as soon as she stopped speaking, taunting her. 

**_“Keep going.”_ **

June groaned in frustration, but she wasn’t in a position to argue. She was on her back with them towering over her, her thighs parted and her knees bent and feet resting on the bed. “I want to feel you in me,” she moaned loudly, and they obliged her with a shallow thrust, groaning as more of her wet heat enveloped them. That proved to be their undoing, and neither Eddie nor Venom had the strength to keep up the game, sinking fully into her tight center. They threw their head back, a guttural moan tearing from their throat as June cried out, raking her fingernails down their back. Their hands tightened around her hips, holding her immobile as they drew out leisurely, and thrust back in hard.

June whined, unable to arch her back off of the bed because they were on top of her, but she tried anyway, writhing.  _ Slow down, you’re going to hurt her— _

**_Doesn’t seem like it to me._ **

Venom punctuated this statement with a sharp snap of their hips, driving the head of their cock against her cervix, and she cried out and clenched around them, coating their cock with fresh wetness. They leaned back, still pumping their cock into her slowly, admiring the way they stretched her open, her cunt clutching desperately at the invading appendage as though June’s life depended on it. 

They glanced up at her, only to find her watching them, her plump bottom lip held tightly between her teeth as she pinched and rolled her pert nipples with slim fingers. They grinned, licking their lips as they met her gaze.  **_“Yessssss…”_ ** they hissed, thrusting faster into the welcoming heat of her pussy.  **_“Touch yourself for us… Pull harder.”_ ** They ground out, watching her tug firmly on her dark nipples. One of her hands began traveling down between her heaving breasts, down to where they were joined, her fingers skirting over her swollen clit. They watched, openmouthed as she began sliding her fingers through her soaked folds, brushing their cock as they thrust in and out of her. 

“Like this?” She asked innocently, the lascivious grin coloring her features a testament to the insincere nature of her question. They growled, unamused by her show of will, and reached down to grasp a small handful of her hair, twirling around their finger—and tugged, hard. June hissed, her back arching as her fingers slipped from her clit to slide against the base of their cock as they leaned down over her. June’s legs were bent, crushed against their chest as they bore down, forcing a harsh gasp out of them as her cunt clenched around them frantically. She let out a whine. 

**_“We will fuck the defiance out of you.”_ ** They snarled, yanking her head to the side, and biting down on the smooth skin of her throat.  **_“You’re so fucking_ ** **_tight_ ** **_..!”_ ** They pulled back, allowing her to breathe fully again as they pumped in and out of her. They lifted her leg over their shoulder, groaning as she opened beneath them 

Her fingers still hadn’t left her sopping folds, and June cursed as they swatted her hands away. They ran the sharp tips of their claws gently over her sensitive flesh, delighting in her breathy moans. They pinched her clit between their long fingers and her hips bucked. 

“Fuck, Eddie!” The walls of her cunt tightened around them and their hips stuttered as they groaned. 

**_“We did not tell you you could come.”_ ** They ground the words out, frowning down at June. She whimpered when they slowed their stroke, pulling out of her. 

“No!” She whined, angling her hips, and attempting to force them back in. The thought  _ was  _ tempting—her legs were splayed open, one tossed over Eddie’s shoulder, leaving her sweet pussy deliciously bare to their gaze. 

**_“Turn over.”_ ** Their cock too, was threaded with black veins, precum beading on the tip. June rolled onto her stomach, her knees underneath her, and they licked their lips.  **_“Spread your legs.”_ ** They hissed as she did as instructed, the pink folds of her heated center peeking out between her thick, muscular thighs. They grinned lasciviously, palming her ass with one hand. They thrust against her, rubbing their thick cock against her pussy as she moaned. 

**_“So wet… You’re so close, aren’t you, morsel?”_ ** Their voice was raspier than normal, their hands tight around her hips. June nodded wildly, her face buried in the pillows at the top of their bed.  **_“Beg. Beg us to finish it.”_ ** They leaned over, trailing hot kisses up her spine. 

“Please, Eddie— _ Venom— _ I need.. I need—”

**_“What do you need, morsel?”_ ** They asked tauntingly, rubbing the head of their cock against her throbbing entrance.  **_“Do you need our hard cock in your pussy? Do you want us to make you scream, June?”_ ** Her name rolled off of their tongue in a sensual purr, and they felt her clench at hearing it. 

“Yes, please, please—” They drove their cock in to the hilt, and June keened, her head falling forward onto her forearms. She cried out as they pistoned into her, their large, black hand finding purchase on the back of her neck. They squeezed experimentally, and though Eddie was skeptical, June’s cunt clenched around them, signaling that she wasn’t fearful—or turned off at the prospect. 

They pressed down again, limiting her airflow as they ground into her, their breath tearing from their chest in ragged bursts. 

“So good,” she moaned, her words almost lost in the sound. “I’m so close, please…”

Hearing her pleading cries, they licked their lips, and leaned down so that their lips brushed her back.  **_“Yes, morsel. Come. Come all over our cock, squeeze us with that tight pussy…”_ ** They slid a hand between them, sliding it through her soaked folds until they touched her clit, rubbing it with the pad of their large finger as they squeezed down on her throat. 

June cried out hoarsely, sobbing as her orgasm ripped through her. Her pussy throbbed around them, massaging their cock as they cursed. They pumped into her two, three more times and came as the aftershocks of her completion milked them. 

**_“Fuck!”_ ** They threw their head back, eyes sightlessly focused on the ceiling as they came down. Venom retreated to the passenger seat, sated, as Eddie took a deep breath, trying to regain just a few of his motor functions. His cock was still hard as he slipped it—rather reluctantly—out of June, before laying down beside her, his heart hammering in his chest. 

“You okay?” He asked, brushing a few strands of damp hair out of her face. With some effort, June rolled over onto her side, facing him. 

“I’m… wow, yeah, I’m good,” she said breathlessly, her cheeks reddening.  **_She smells good with our seed in her._ **

_ Oh my god. _

“Can I have your number?” Eddie blurted, not quite sure what to say next. June laughed, burying her face in the side of her arm. 

“Yeah, sure. I’d like that.”

  
  
  


_ To be continued… _


	3. Savor It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That time Eddie and June went sightseeing.

It had been June’s decision to crash at Eddie’s place, and though she’d known full well that she had at least 7 hours of studio time to look forward to the following morning, she still couldn’t quite bring herself to say no when he’d asked if she wanted to spend the night, that cute grin playing on the edges of his full lips. 

Her alarm blared from the speakers of her phone, and June sat straight up blearily, reaching for the bedside table. Only instead of a table, her hand met with the bare skin of Eddie’s back as he slept on, oblivious to the noise. June searched the room for her shirt, but couldn’t find it.  _ Well.. he’s asleep.  _ It wouldn’t matter if she wandered naked into the living room just to grab her phone, would it? With all the grace of a newborn deer, she stumbled out into Eddie’s living room, searching through her purse to quiet the offensive ringing. 

**_“Aren’t we the early riser?”_ **

At the sound of Venom’s voice, June turned, expecting to see a bleary Eddie with the fluid form of the symbiote hanging over his shoulder. Instead, she was met with an eight foot wall of inky, muscly flesh, and a wide grin that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. _Venom._ He smiled down at her, that long tongue running thoughtfully against his many, razor sharp teeth. This form still made her a little nervous, and though June was fairly certain he wouldn’t hurt her, it was still a little…strange. **_“Eddie is still sleeping.”_** Was the only explanation he offered her, and June nodded. _So… does that mean he’s the only one in charge right now?_

“I have class in two hours,” she replied, putting her phone back into her purse. She spotted her shirt on the floor in the living room, and hastily made to pick it up, her cheeks burning. It wasn’t like it was the first time June had ever gone home with someone, she just… could never quite manage to shake the embarrassment from the walk of shame the next day. 

She turned, only to find Venom directly behind her. June collided with his chest, and he chuckled.  **_“A pity you’re leaving so soon.”_ ** He purred.  **_“We were hoping you could stay a little longer…”_ ** His tongue snaked out to leave a wet, glistening trail down her cheek, and between her breasts. June swallowed thickly. She was a  _ little _ sore from the night before, but her pussy throbbed at the thought of him taking her like  _ that.  _ She was surprised—to put it mildly—at her own arousal, but she supposed it wasn’t  _ that _ strange. 

It was still at least  _ partly _ Eddie, right?

Venom seemed oblivious to her internal debate, his incredibly long tongue still making wet patterns down to her stomach, and stopping just above her neatly manicured pussy. 

He leaned forward, sniffing the air in front of her, before that manic grin widened, and his tongue traveled back up to her face. 

**_“Wet already, are we morsel?”_ ** His deep voice was taunting, and June felt a little thrill travel up her spine as he spoke to her. God, it was like when he talked to her in that deep, sultry tone, she just wanted to do whatever he asked of her. 

June licked her lips, nodding—her impending classes forgotten. “Yes.” Her voice came out breathier than she’d intended. Venom grasped the cheeks of her ass and leaned down, his tongue stroking her soft lips. She opened her mouth, and he curled the tip of his long tongue around hers, massaging it. When he pulled away, her chin was glistening with his thick saliva, and June was panting, her hands clenched against his broad chest. 

**_“Eddie is too gentle with you,”_ ** He growled, his claws digging into the softness of her ass, and June mewled.  **_“He is afraid we’ll break you.”_ ** He chuckled darkly.  **_“But we suspect…”_ ** He pinched her nipple roughly,  **_“You want to be broken.”_ **

June moaned softly as his tongue slid back and forth between her thighs, each pass of his raised tastebuds scraping against her clit and making her cry out. He lifted her onto the counter behind her, spreading her thighs so that he could kneel in front of her, forcing his tongue in and out of her swollen cunt. She was still sensitive; every touch felt electrifying and intense. His clawed hand was on her thigh, holding her still as he thrust his tongue into her. 

June screamed. It was a broken, ragged sound that tore itself from her throat, and she had only a moment to pray that she hadn’t woken every single one of his neighbors before the thick, ridged appendage began  _ moving _ , and stopped her from thinking anything at all. Her hips moved of their own accord, thighs falling open as he attacked her ravenously, drinking down every drop of moisture she produced. He groaned, clawed hands grasping her thighs tightly. He undulated his tongue inside her, and June’s head lolled back, her eyes rolling shut. She hadn’t ever felt  _ quite _ this full, even when Eddie—and also by extension, Venom—had been buried balls deep in her only hours before. 

“Fuck—ah—I’m coming—”

He raked his claws along her flesh as if to encourage her, his mouth still grinning wickedly as those giant white eyes met hers. 

June’s body spasmed as her soaked cunt clenched around Venom’s tongue. He hadn’t stopped moving it inside her, as though he were trying to taste every inch of her from the inside out. June hissed and moaned as he began dragging the appendage out of her, the large bumps of his tastebuds dragging against her oversensitive clit as he did so. He stood, leaning forward as he licked his chops, pressing her to his chest almost affectionately. His skin was almost like liquid, fluid without being wet, and it moved against her own almost like a caress. June rested her head against him as she tried to catch her breath. His fingers stroked her back soothingly, and June sighed, shuddering as one last aftershock ran through her body. 

She straightened suddenly, shoving herself away from Venom—or at least she tried to. He growled lowly, apparently unhappy with her sudden movement. 

**_“Problem, morsel?”_ ** His tone was skeptical. 

“I’m going to be so fucking late for class,” June gasped, digging the heels of her palms into her closed eyes. “Shit, oh my god, I have to go. Like right now.” He stayed in place for a moment longer, and June impulsively dropped a kiss to his large shoulder. He moved, though only enough to let her grab the shirt she’d dropped on the ground during their… interlude. Mild panic flooded June’s veins.  _ Maybe Jeannie hasn’t left for class yet. I can get her to bring me a change of clothes, I’ll shower in the locker rooms… _

**_“Would you like a ride?”_ ** Venom asked smoothly, his voice startling June. She padded down the hallway to the bedroom, where the remainder of her clothes had been abandoned. 

“Is that an innuendo, or are you actually offering me a ride to class?” June asked, quirking her eyebrow suspiciously at him. Venom chuckled. 

**_“Eddie thought it might be faster than uber.”_ ** Venom’s tongue flicked out to touch his teeth, and seemed to be looking her up and down.  **_“Though we certainly would not mind other scenarios..”_ **

June couldn’t help the smile that wormed it’s way onto her face. “Okay. To the ride. And not that kind of ride.” 

June wiggled into her shorts, and then texted Jeannie. 

_ Hey. Didn’t make it home last night. Can you bring my dance bag?  _

Almost immediately Jeannie responded, with a sly face emoji. 

_ Oh I noticed. Yeah, I’ll grab your bag. Are you getting a ride from Eddie? I hope you got a good ride last night. ;) _

June didn’t respond, and blushed, shoving her phone into her pocket. Venom looked at her curiously, cocking his large head but June dutifully ignored him, not wanting to explain the raunchy—and yet, incredibly apt—text Jeannie had sent. 

“I didn’t know Eddie was up,” June said sheepishly, pulling her shirt over her head. Venom shrugged. 

**_“He woke while our tongue was buried in your sweet cunt, and thought it best not to interfere.”_ **

The casual way he’d delivered that news made June start, almost dropping her purse as she slid it over her shoulder. Venom didn’t give her time to respond, receding into Eddie, who grinned at her sheepishly, running a hand through his short, messy hair. 

“So… still want that ride?”

Eddie grabbed the keys to his bike, and led June back down the hallway she’d come in through last night, and she noted irritatedly that her thighs burned—something she’d have to put up with during both rounds of her classes. 

_ Oh well. It’s my own fault.  _ She eyed Eddie covertly as he got the bike started, appreciatively watching the way his muscles bunched underneath that well fitted t-shirt as he lifted the kickstand, and reached behind him for his helmet. He tossed it to her, grinning. 

“That’s better than goggles, right?” he joked, and June nodded. She’d only ever ridden on Malcolm’s bike three times. Once when she was sixteen, and stealing it for a joyride, and the next time after she’d gotten out of the hospital for breaking her wrist, and getting the gash on her hip stitched up from where she’d hit the ground after wiping out. 

And the third time, was the last time she’d seen him since before he deployed. June tightened her arms around Eddie subconsciously at the memory, her eyes watering a little.  _ Mal’s fine, June. Stop worrying. _ She reminded herself, resting the forehead of the helmet against Eddie’s broad back. 

They pulled off into traffic, Eddie expertly weaving around cars and speeding through yellow lights.  _ God I can’t believe I slept with Eddie Brock. _ June felt her cheeks burning, and was suddenly more glad for the helmet. It would be worse for him to turn around and find her, face beet red, thinking about the events of the night before. 

Somewhat belatedly, the next train of thought came barreling through her brain, running the embarrassing, sweat filled memories of them touching and kissing her right out of her head. Eddie was Venom. They were the same, one being with two brains. One of which was of alien origin. 

That definitely put her being a mutant into perspective. Suddenly, it didn’t seem so bad. At least she didn’t have to eat people. She shuddered, putting the thought out of her head. He had, as far as she knew, refrained from attacking innocent people. Leaving them terrified was another matter entirely. 

June felt them slowing, and looked up in a daze. They were parking in front of her school, and for some reason, her heart began to pound. He set out the kickstand with a strong push, and then slid gracefully off of the bike. He moved so well for someone so burly, though that was probably more Venom than Eddie. He grasped her hand, helping her down off the bike, though June didn’t really need the assistance. She wanted to be annoyed at the gesture, but when he smiled at her bashfully as she took the helmet off, June found herself smiling back. 

“Don’t be surprised when we call you,” He replied, grinning. June rolled her eyes. 

“Yeah, sure. Try not to…” She held her hands up, pressing the heels of her palms together as she steepled her fingers into a crude imitation of his jagged teeth. She snapped her finger-jaws in his direction. June leaned forward as she did it, smiling mischievously as she did it again, this time quietly emitting a low growl—the exact one Venom had made. 

Eddie looked shocked, and then…June’s throat tightened just a little as he gave her that same, steady look he’d given her the night before when he’d asked her if she was ready to show them everything. He leaned forward, but didn’t kiss her, simply tapping her on the nose.  **_“We are definitely going to call you.”_ **

Before June could reply, he’d placed the helmet back on his own head, and was mounting his bike, leaving her alone on the pavement. 

“Whoa.”

—

“Tell. Me. Everything.” Jeannie was staring at her intently, her green eyes fixated on June’s face. June, for her part, was blushing intently, focusing on the latte Jean had set down in front of her. 

“I—um, he was nice.” She stammered, suddenly embarrassed. She certainly  _ hadn’t _ been when Venom’s tongue had been writhing inside of her, but now, facing her best friend, she felt shy. June wasn’t quite sure why, considering Jeannie knew everything— _ well, almost everything— _ about her. She’d been there through numerous breakups, June’s parents divorce, and her brother’s forced deployment. 

But… June wasn’t quite sure if “vigilante murderer gives great head” was going to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. Besides, June hadn’t divulged that she was… well, a mutant, so the story would have had to be heavily edited anyway. Jean fixed her with a petulant glare, crossing her arms. 

“June Kierney. Answer me right now, or I swear, I’ll…” She paused, trying to think of a threat that would actually garner the correct response. “I’ll throw away all your weed. I’ll just flush it down the toilet in front of you.” 

June gasped theatrically, her eyes widening. “Okay, okay. Seriously he was… it was fucking fantastic,” June whispered, leaning across the table, her cheeks hot. Jean leaned back in her chair, a satisfied grin gracing her face. “He did this thing with his tongue…”

“I knew it! God, I’m… Wow, I’m actually a little jealous.” Jeannie seemed impressed; which, given June’s track record with men, was probably a good thing. “I see you spent the night.” She replied, that same sly smile spreading across her face once more, her green eyes intent. “Do you like him?”

June fiddled with the hem of her shirt, twisting it in her hands as she avoided Jean’s gaze.. “I… Well, I don’t think we’re doing the relationship thing. It’s one time, Jeannie, geez. I don’t have to have a label for every single guy I let hit it.” Ever since Jean had begun dating her current girlfriend Leslie, she’d been playing matchmaker with June, setting her up on one disastrous blind date after another. She found herself shuddering at the memory. “Can’t I just, you know, fool around? Not everyone’s ready for you and Leslie levels of commitment.” Jean looked hurt for half a second, before shrugging. June felt regret cropping up behind her irritation and ducked her head in apology. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap.”

“It’s cool, I get it. You wanna bop around, throw that magnificent ass in a circle whenever you feel it’s appropriate. I understand completely.” June choked and gasped, a strangled laugh erupting from her throat as she narrowly avoided spraying the table and her best friend with spit-laced coffee.

“I hate you.”

“You’re welcome for the coffee.” Jean said snippily, grinning smugly. June took a bite of the cookie she’d bought, chewing thoughtfully. 

“But he’s nice. I think he’ll call me at some point, maybe? But even if not… it was fun.” June knew herself—she wasn’t exactly the best at relationships. She had a fairly nasty habit of picking the absolute worst guys. Sure, she was a  _ tad _ lonely, and sure, the “U up?” texts quickly lost the spark of sexual empowerment she’d felt when first receiving them, but things were fine as they were now. June had only herself to worry about, and she did a fairly good job of watching her own ass. No one else’s feelings to be concerned about, and… the lack of constant concern of heartbreak had benefits too.

Jeannie nodded sagely, though June could tell she wanted to disagree with her rather abrupt summation of her own love life. Her friend leaned forward conspiratorially, and glanced around to make sure no one was listening.  _ Yeah, we’re definitely getting spied on at the campus Starbucks. _

“Was he big?” Jeannie’s big green eyes glimmered lasciviously as she waited for June’s answer. 

“Jesus Christ!” June rubbed her temple, and bit her lip, a smile spreading across her face despite her embarrassment. “…Yes.”

  
  


“I fucking knew it!”

  
  


They finished their coffee, and Jean left for her next class. June, however, made her way back over to the dance building. There were still several students there, hanging out in the hallways, and in the majority of the dance rooms, practicing. The mirrored, soundproofed walls made them the only place most of them could go to get any sort of work done. June was the same; her apartment was too small to dance in. And even though there was  _ technically _ a gym in the building, it was never a guarantee that she’d be the only one there. 

Earlier that day, the contemporary dance instructor had informed the entire student body about the auditions that were being held; ODC Dance was looking to expand it’s company before it’s next large showcase—an amazing opportunity, if you were lucky enough to be chosen. June had been in troupes before, but her muscular build, and curvy frame made ballet somewhat of a challenge socially. She was as capable as any more typically shaped ballerina, but… that didn’t stop the troupe directors from “gently encouraging” her to lose weight in her thighs with risky procedures. The memory made her angry, but June swallowed it. She came across an empty practice room after a few minutes of looking, and gratefully wrote her name on the whiteboard sign up sheet outside, giving herself an hour and a half of practice time, hopefully uninterrupted. 

June synced her phone to the speakers, before putting on a few classical pieces to warm up to. There were a few pieces of choreography she had to learn before class, so she practiced those as well, referencing the videos the instructor had recorded of the steps. June practiced for the better part of the hour, until finally she felt like she had it down. Down enough for tomorrow’s class, anyway. She strode over to her phone, picking one of her own playlists. 

_ I keep it Juicy (Juicy) _

_ I eat that lunch (yeah) _

_ She keep that booty (booty),  _

_ She keep that pump _

All the stress she’d felt over the past week, everything melted away. It was just June, and all she could feel was the thrum of the base reverberating in the floorboards. She always turned the music up all the way—what was the point of having soundproof rooms if she didn’t? June dropped to the ground in a crouch, before moving towards the mirror, a wide grin on her face. 

_ If you could see it from the front,  _

_ wait till you see it from the back, back, back, back, back _

_ Back, back, back, back, back _

She moved her hips, her thighs burning with her exertion. June ignored it, popping back up to stand, kicking her leg up into a smooth arabesque. The song ended, and June leaned against the barre, checking the time. She had five whole minutes to vacate before the next set of students needed to use the practice room, so she began gathering her things, stuffing her water bottle back into her dance bag, and throwing a sweater over her leotard and leggings. 

June’s phone buzzed, and, fully expecting it to be Jean—or her mother—June unlocked her screen. 

But it was Eddie. 

She’d saved his name with a skull next to it, and she smiled at the sight. He’d said he was going to text her, but… June hadn’t been expecting it to be so soon. She wanted to frown at the little flip her stomach did when his name flashed across her screen, but… she couldn’t help it. He was cute, and funny, and…dangerous. June couldn’t ignore the little spark of fear she felt every time Venom made his presence known, but… it was exciting, and she had to admit she liked it. 

_ E: Hey, so, we were wondering if you wanted to grab some dinner tomorrow?  _

June swallowed thickly. She’d been expecting him to invite her over for another tumble, in not so many words. Not like... an actual  _ date  _ date. She chewed her lip nervously before locking the phone screen, and shoving it into her bag. Jeannie would be ecstatic to know someone was asking her out for more than a one night stand, but… June was wary of anything more than that. It was like being stuck between a boulder and a brick wall—she hated the anonymity, and the lack of intimacy in all of her Tinder dates, but the moment anyone asked more of her, she headed in the opposite direction as fast as she could.

The last person she’d let in… June frowned, before putting the idea out of her head. “Nope. No. Not going there tonight.” She muttered, shoving her feet into her sneakers. She exited the room, and sure enough, there was a group of first years standing outside, waiting intently for her to leave. June headed down to the parking lot, where Jeannie was waiting. After looking on the first and second floor, June found her on the roof, a lit joint in her hand. She was sitting in the driver’s seat of her old ford taurus, her phone sitting in her lap. 

“Hey, sorry, I meant to text you that I was up here.” 

“It’s cool. Thanks for waiting,” June replied, sliding into the passenger seat. She took the joint from Jean when she offered it, taking a deep drag. “Eddie asked me out.” 

Jean glanced at her sideways, before motioning for June to hand her back the dub. “I mean… yeah, this is what, the third time?” June swallowed thickly. That’s right—Jean was blissfully unaware of the fact that Eddie was Venom, and that June had fled their first one night stand fearing for her life. 

“Well, like…really asked me out. Not just ‘come over and let me put it on you’. Like an actual date.” 

Jeannie reclined her chair further, making a show of settling in and sighing before fixing June with another withering sideways glare. “Didn’t you just get done telling me you guys ‘weren’t doing the relationship thing’?” She asked, her face an irritating mixture of suppressed excitement and smug satisfaction, her hands making dramatic air quotes. Before June could spit out an angry retort, Jean passed her the joint. “Are you gonna go? Wait, where did he ask you to go? Movies? Dinner? Also…what exactly is Eddie putting on you?” Jean asked jokingly, her face contorting with mock anger. “It better not be anything dirty, I didn’t raise you like that!” 

“One, you didn’t raise me at all, so there’s that, and two, yeah, he asked me to dinner.” June asked gruffly, exhaling smoke through her nostrils. “Dinner. And I have no fucking clue if I’m going or not. I mean…”  _ What if he actually  _ **_does_ ** _ eat me? Or worse, what if… what if I really like him? _ June took another deep drag before handing it back to Jeannie. 

  
  


“You should go! He likes you. I can tell.” 

“The last time you said that to me, I ended up with  _ Greg _ .” June spat, cutting her eyes at her friend. Jeannie looked sheepishly apologetic. 

“I mean... all I said was that he liked you. No one told you to go balls to the walls cuckoo-for-coco-puffs crazy for him. And besides, aren’t  _ you _ the one that ended it?”

June coughed for a moment, before rolling her eyes. “So what you’re telling me is that I should have stayed with the guy who asked me to put hot-sauce on his—”

“Oh God, don’t remind me!” Jean wailed, reaching across the console to cover June’s mouth with her hand as June smirked underneath it. “Okay, okay, bad example. But I think he  _ does _ like you. What could it hurt to go to dinner? Besides your giant fucking pride?”

June sighed, rolling her eyes as Jeannie handed her the last smoldering bit of the joint she’d rolled. “Nothing, I guess.” 

To say that June had attachment issues would be an understatement. It hadn’t  _ only  _ been Greg’s weird hot sauce related proclivities that made her nope-out of the relationship. He’d started asking for a key to the apartment, waiting outside of her classes for her. Of course Jeannie had stared at her like she had a second head when June had listed those commonly accepted boyfriend activities as a problem; but for June... she’d begun feeling boxed in. Smothered. 

_ Doesn’t help that I can’t tell a single fucking person what I am.  _

Maybe that was why she was so nervous. It scary being vulnerable, and there was really no greater vulnerability than being open to another person.  _ Not to mention the opportunity to get hurt. Again.  _

“Look, just go on the date. If you hate it, at least you can talk shit on twitter, and people will love it.” June stared at the darkened phone screen in her lap. She hadn’t responded to Eddie yet, not even to say that she’d check her schedule. “Do it. Do it. Do it. Do it. Do I have to keep annoying you into living your life forever? Because once Lillian and I get married, I honestly doubt I’ll have the time. Do it.” 

“You are  _ so _ not helping,” June ground out, her eyebrows furrowing. 

_ J: Um, sure. Where do you want to go? _

_ ~ _

  
  


**_“Text her, Eddie.”_ **

“I’m working, V.” 

**_“Then_ ** **_I_ ** **_will text her.”_ **

Without warning, a black tentacle shot out of Eddie’s shoulder, snatching his phone from the desk. 

“Hey!” He grabbed for it, but Venom elongated it, stretching the appendage almost up to the ceiling of Eddie’s small office. 

**_“I miss June.”_ **

“You can’t miss someone we don’t know, V. I gotta write this, c’mon. Rent’s not going to pay itself.” Eddie replied exasperatedly. It  _ was _ true they’d said they would text her, and he had every intention of doing it.  _ After _ he was finished typing up his latest piece. Another hard hitter about where silicon valley execs were  _ really _ investing all their dough—most of them into questionable at best organizations, and fronts for money laundering. If he could think about anything other than June’s thighs wrapped around his waist, that is. 

Still, Venom continued playing keep away, holding his phone far out of reach. 

“What are you going to say? ‘Let me lick your pussy again tomorrow night’?”

**_“No, but that does have a certain ring to it.”_ **

Eddie sighed, and pushed his keyboard out of the way. “At least let me type it.” He  _ liked _ June, as much as he didn’t really want to. Venom was constantly on him about “getting over” Anne, and as much as he wanted to, it wasn’t that easy. He still wasn’t quite sure how to explain to his alien rider that human emotions were far more complex and finicky than he was prepared to deal with. For Venom—and from what he’d experienced of others of his kind—the easiest way around a problem was straight through. Chugging straight forward, full speed ahead like a train. But Eddie was off the tracks now, and still struggling to get his bearings. Venom lowered his tentacle slowly, pausing a moment before he gave the device back to his host, who snatched it with a roll of his eyes. 

Eddie could feel Venom’s growing annoyance at his emotional state, but he wasn’t sure how to solve that either. It wasn’t as though he  _ enjoyed _ long bouts of depression thinking about the marriage he’d almost had.  _ I guess that’s what you call a cultural difference.  _

**_“Indeed.”_ ** Venom was now perched on his shoulder, and his tongue brushed the shell of Eddie’s ear as he spoke, making him blush. Not to mention that  _ he _ and Venom had somewhat of an unconventional relationship themselves.  _ I don’t think Carlton Drake had Riot help him jerk it. _

**_“Their relationship—or lackthereof—has little bearing on ours, Eddie. Are you going to text June?”_ **

Eddie quickly typed up a message, asking her out to dinner. 

**_“Appropriate, considering our morsel is very tasty.”_ **

“She’s not ours, V.” Eddie protested, placing the phone face down on his desk. “And besides. She might not even want to see us again.”

Surprisingly, he felt his stomach drop in disappointment at his own words. 

**_“It seems confusing to be human, Eddie. You like June, and you want to spend time with her, but you cannot because you also like Anne?”_ ** Unlike before, Venom’s voice was curious, and not accusatory. 

“Yeah.” He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “Being a person is full of contradictory shit.” 

When Eddie left the building that evening, and strolled out to his bike, he finally deigned to check his phone. After their... talk, Venom had been quiet. No interjections, or disrupting his thoughts. At first, he’d been grateful for the silence, but now... Eddie felt strangely lonely. He dug around in his pocket, locating his phone. Perhaps he was doing it just to prove Venom wrong—if it went poorly, it would mean it had meant nothing, wouldn’t it? 

_ J: Um, sure. Where do you want to go? _

_ E: I was thinking Mako. You like sushi? _

_ J: Love sushi.  _

In spite of his considerably mixed emotions, Eddie felt warmth settle in his belly at the thought of seeing June again. 

**_Are you not happy I made you text?_ ** Venom’s smug voice made Eddie roll his eyes, but he couldn’t disagree. Left to his own devices, Eddie probably would have thrown himself into work for the forseeable future, denying himself and and all pleasure in some strange form of self punishment. 

“I guess you’re right sometimes.” He groused, pulling his helmet over his head, and flicking the visor down. Even though traffic was terrible, it was easy enough to breeze through it on his bike, reaching home before the sun had completely set. The lobby was fairly empty, and Eddie’s mailbox, as usual, was too. 

**_I’m right most of the time. Eddie, I’m hungry._ **

“You’re always hungry, V.” Eddie replied, punching the up button on the elevator.  _ Besides, I’m pretty sure we have some prime steak at home.  _

It would only satiate Venom for so long—soon they were going to have to go hunting. Eddie frowned at himself. He wasn’t used to thinking of their patrols as hunts. More and more he was beginning to notice Venom’s...  _ personality _ leaking into his. 

**_What’s wrong with that, Eddie? We are one. You are mine, and I am yours. And June is Ours._ ** Eddie tried to ignore the warm tingle in the pit of his stomach at Venom’s statement. It was  _ weird _ that Venom had become such an integral part of his life, sex life included. But it was too late to walk it back now, especially when his alien passenger had developed the habit of pressing down on Eddie’s prostate from the inside just before he came...

“Woah, woah big guy. Slow down. We barely know the girl. And besides, I thought I was enough for you,” Eddie joked, his voice a bit tight, the words halting. “Besides, humans don’t work like that, V. We usually date around for a while before we decide you know, to pair off or whatever.” Eddie got the distinct feeling that if he could see the symbiote, he would be blinking at him disinterestedly with his massive white eyes. 

**_Were you not “dating around” with Anne, Eddie?_ **

Eddie felt his throat tighten at Venom’s snippy reminder, though he doubted it was his intention to hurt his host’s feelings. Amazingly, Venom managed to be cutting and callous just by being his usual, blunt self. He didn’t seem to need human pettiness to accomplish that. 

“We were, yeah. There’s no... Of course there’s no guarantees, big guy. People aren’t machines that pop out prizes once you’ve been with ‘em long enough. No matter how much you want them to.” Eddie muttered. He wasn’t sure how to explain to Venom that none of it mattered. Time invested, relationship length, how well you knew them— _ none _ of it mattered when someone could wake up one day and decided you were just too  _ fucked _ to be worth it anymore. 

**_So you admit your logic regarding our relationship with June is faulty._ **

“What logic, V? I feel like we’re going in circles here.” Eddie replied, exasperated. “And we’re _not_ _in_ a relationship with June!”

**_If time spent in a relationship is meaningless when deciding the eventual outcome, June can be ours regardless of time spent pursuing her, or how long we have known her._ ** Venom replied, speaking slowly as though he were speaking to a child. Eddie groaned. Again, Eddie had the fleeting thought that this felt more like a lover’s quarrel than anything else—and it didn’t bother him as much as it had before. 

Eddie opened his mouth to argue with Venom’s assessment, but then snapped it shut, shaking his head. It didn’t matter how much time Venom spent in his head, poring over his memories and learning what to say—there were some things about humans, and being human in particular, that Venom would never understand. One of which, being the apparent extreme complexity that was human entanglements. He could feel Venom’s own frustration, perhaps in direct opposition to, and because of Eddie’s. He didn’t doubt that this was frustrating for him too—Venom was used to charging through and taking what he wanted—he wasn’t used to sharing, or minding a host’s desires or needs. 

They spent the rest of Eddie’s work day not speaking to one another.  _ For someone who doesn’t have a great handle on human emotions, he sure is acting like a pissy teenager.  _

Eddie thought to himself, tugging his motorcycle helmet down over his head. The ride home was quiet, and though he had to concentrate more than usual, with Venom petulantly refusing to assist, Eddie appreciated it. It was sobering, navigating the traffic with only his own senses. His apartment was quiet and empty, as he’d left it. 

Eddie tossed his bag onto one of the seats by the island counter in the kitchen, before heading to the fridge to grab a beer. He threw himself down onto the couch, before reaching for the remote. Absently, he fished around in his pocket for his phone, noting after he grabbed it that he had a new text message. Eddie unlocked his phone, and immediately felt his stomach begin doing strange, nervous flip flops as June’s name flashed across his screen. 

**_“I take it we will be seeing morsel for dinner tomorrow evening, then?”_ ** Venom’s deep voice directly in his ear made Eddie shudder. He could feel the hot puffs of air accentuating each word against the prickly skin of his neck, and Eddie swallowed thickly, his palms sweaty as he gripped his phone just a little  _ too  _ tightly. 

“Um, yeah. Looks like.” It took a few tries to get the phone to register his clammy thumbs on the touch screen, but when he did, Eddie struggled to type out a message that didn’t sound like he was trying too hard. 

_ E: I was thinking like 8? There’s a good spot in Central Market. Looks like a dive, but that’s how you know it’s good.  _

_ J: Haha, okay, I trust you. But if I get food poisoning, I’m throwing up on you _

Eddie couldn’t help but smile a little as he finished his beer. She was funny, even through texts. Texting Anne had always been a chore, every joke carefully curated so as not to offend her, or worse yet, insult her intelligence. 

He took another sip of his beer, before glancing up at the television. It was only on for background noise, and so Eddie was paying it little attention as he relaxed on the couch, scrolling thoughtlessly through twitter and facebook. 

“—manhunt is on for escapee Cletus Kasady, who was being transferred from Folsom state prison to a smaller, state run facility, specializing in rehabilitation. Details of Kassidy’s escape have not been made public at this time.”

“Holy shit.” Eddie remembered Cletus Kasady, alright. It was his first major interview after the Life Foundation disaster, and the guy was... Nuts would be putting it  _ politely. _ Harrison had been wanting to do a big article on prolific killers still languishing in the California penitentiary system, and naturally, Kasady had been right at the top of his list. 

**_“He’s a bad guy, right Eddie?”_ ** Venom asked, saliva pooling in his mouth between jagged teeth. Eddie nodded without really thinking about it, his eyes still transfixed on the screen. There was what seemed to be helicopter shot footage of a scene of complete chaos; a prison transport bus was laying on it’s side, the metal mangled and torn as though something had ripped through it. The windows were shattered and splattered with blood, and the ones that weren’t were stained black with smoke. Several ambulances and fire trucks dotted the scene, and Eddie got the impression that they’d only  _ just _ put out the fire that had started in the crash. Venom licked his chops again.  **_“A manhunt indeed.”_ **

“He’s a hundred miles away, V. I don’t think he’s in our... range.” Eddie replied quietly, his gaze still locked on the story unfolding before him. He grabbed a pad of paper from underneath the coffee table, and fished a pen out of his pocket. He jotted down the notes haphazardly, ignoring the lining on the paper, making bullet points wherever his pen touched the page. The story Harrison had wanted to create had Cletus as one of many, a list of names that together, had managed to terrorize the entire country. 

  
  


_ I’m thinking Mr. Kasady deserves his own headline this time around, _ Eddie thought absently. He’d been looking for a new story, and it seemed one had been dumped right into his lap. Venom muttered something Eddie didn’t catch, watching the television with unblinking eyes. By the time the report had finished, he’d learned the accident had happened early that morning—and that Cletus Kasady was nowhere to be found. One of the anchors speculated that perhaps he’d perished in the crash, but Eddie doubted it. 

The next report was some feel-good nonsense about the San Francisco zoo, and Eddie ignored it in favor of heading to the kitchen. Venom had made his needs known earlier, and being that Eddie wasn’t keen on finding out exactly how little of his liver he needed to function, he figured it was as good a time as any to feed the beast. 

**_“Don’t overcook the steak, Eddie.”_ **

  
  


**_—_ **

  
  


“So you don’t like him.” Jeannie’s voice was incredulous, and June didn’t need to look at her smug face to know her expression probably matched it. 

“No, I don’t. We’re just having fun. I don’t like,  _ like _ him like that, Jean.” June’s words were muffled even to her own ears. She was buried deep in her own closet, trying and failing to find a single article of clothing she felt like wearing. June wasn’t a fashionista by any means—most days found her in leggings and oversized sweatshirts, or biking shorts and large t-shirts; perfect practicing gear. Sure, she had a few cute dresses and some skirts, but it wasn’t like she went out enough to justify not simply borrowing something of Jeannie’s to wear on the occasion that she went clubbing, or out somewhere nice. 

“Oh, okay.” June felt her scowl deepen as Jeannie’s tone became impossibly more shit-eating. “I just thought maybe you might because you asked me forty five minutes ago to help you pick out something to wear on this social outing—which you vehemently refuse to call a date. Just, you know, spitballing based on the evidence, here.” 

June whirled around, her cheeks hot. “You’re the one who said it was ‘inappropriate’ to wear my black skirt.”

“June, that skirt is ugly. Also, you only bought it to wear to a funeral because I didn’t  _ have _ anything for you to wear. Please stop torturing the both of us, and let me go to my closet. Please.” 

June leaned heavily against her closet door, surveying the damage in front of her as she weighed Jean’s not so subtle suggestion. There were piles of rejected clothes on her bed, and that was now leaking onto the carpeted floor of her bedroom. “Fine. But that skirt isn’t ugly.”

Jean rolled her eyes. “Love, paisley has been dead since 1982, and with any luck, it’ll stay that way. Give me five minutes.” Jeannie swept out of the room, leaving an exasperated but grateful June to begin tidying up her bedroom. June played nervously with her phone, going over the conversation again and again in her mind.  _ It’s fine. He asked you out to dinner as a formality—he probably feels a little bad about biting someone’s head off in front of me before asking me for illegally hot animal sex.  _

At the memory of what had transpired at Eddie Brock’s expensive uptown apartment made her face swell even hotter. Some rebellious part of June’s brain chose that exact moment to mock her in Jeannie’s voice.  _ I thought we didn’t like him?  _ Before June could sink deeper into her own thoughts, Jean returned, cradling an armful of clothes. 

“You should be able to find something in here. I even threw in that top you like.”

“You mean the top you stole from me?”

“Bygones. Try on the clothes, June.” 

Jeannie shoved the mountain of tops, jeans, and dresses into June’s empty arms with a flourish. “Let’s see which outfit Eddie Brock will be peeling off of you with his teeth.”  _ If you’d seen his teeth you wouldn’t be making that joke, _ June thought dryly, before inclining her head. 

“Fine.” June stomped back over to her closet, and pulled the door in behind her, all but closing it completely. 

It had been a busy two days—when June wasn’t practicing, she was looking for gigs. She hadn’t been lucky—or well connected—enough to be first pick for any of the dance companies she was looking to work with yet, though audition season was approaching quicker than she’d realized. Audition time was her least favorite part of the year; every dancer in a 50 mile radius flocked to the city, all of them competing for the same seven or eight companies, who selected precious few to join their prestigious ranks. Not for the first time, June bitterly wondered if she’d gone into the military like her brothers, if she’d be facing the same challenges.  _ Probably not. _

“June, your date is at 8, and it’s 7:45. I’m prepared to send you out naked.” 

_ Ah, shit. _

She tore through the pile of clothes she’d rested on the shelf in her closet.  _ I hate this top. Jeannie’s jeans never fit me, why does she always—oh that’s cute. _

June was decidedly curvier than Jean, who was tall and built like a supermodel—though they could share certain items of clothing, it was Jeannie who had an all access pass to June’s clothes, a ticket that seemed mostly one way. Still though, occasionally June found gems hidden in Jean’s dragon horde of clothing. June held up the cream colored dress against her body, trying to decide if it was worth the effort. 

“Oh, someone’s at the door, one sec.” June’s head snapped up, and her heart started pounding. Was it Eddie? He was early! She’d given him her address, so it seemed the most likely option. But June had  _ specifically _ said she’d meet him outside, and hadn’t given him an apartment number. Her stomach did another nervous flip as the unmistakable baritone of a man’s voice reached her ears. June kicked the rejected clothes out of the way as she pressed her ear against the closet door, straining to pick up any part of the conversation. She heard Jeannie laugh, and the man spoke again, his tone too low for June to hear anything in particular. She swallowed thickly.  _ At least my hair’s already done... Guess I’m out of time.  _

June began sliding the ribbed, fabric up her bare legs, adjusting it as she tugged it over her breasts. It was a form fitting, off the shoulder dress, with long, bell shaped sleeves. She peeked out of the closet—the coast was clear, though her door was open. June tiptoed over to it, pushing it closed as quietly as she could before checking herself in the full sized mirror on the back of her bedroom door. 

_ Okay, not bad. Ass looks good.  _

She turned in the mirror, bending over a little to ensure that the clingy fabric stayed on her thighs where it belonged. It was knee length on Jeannie, so of course on June’s body, the hemline hit just halfway down her thick thighs. Her hair was freshly twisted, her juicy curls bouncing around her head as she moved. There wasn’t much time for makeup, so June rushed through it, before peeking once more into the hallway. She could hear them clearer now; the sound of Jeannie telling embarrassing stories about her best friend was unmistakable. 

“Yeah, you should have seen her. Hair frizzed out to here, looking like someone put her finger in an electrical outlet—oh hey Jay. Don’t you look nice?” Jeannie and Eddie were sitting at the table. Eddie, for his part, looked thoroughly relaxed, his left ankle resting on his right knee as he leaned back in the chair. At Jean’s comment, his head turned, and June suddenly felt more self conscious than ever as he dragged his eyes slowly up her body. She fiddled with one of the useless buttons lining the front of the dress, pulling the hem down just a little. 

“Thanks, Jean. Hey, Eddie.” June replied somewhat awkwardly. “Sorry I took so long.”

He grinned at her, and the voice she recognized as Venom’s came from his lips. 

**_“Well worth the wait, I think.”_ **

June felt a tremor run down her spine, and she busied herself grabbing her purse and keys. 

“Okay, well, I think I’m ready, so...”

Jean seemed to get the hint, and stood, stretching. “You crazy kids have fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Oh and Leslie is coming over, so you might, you know. Wanna text before you get home.”

“I thought we discussed this. No more sex on the couch, Jean!” June snapped, her hand on her hip as she leaned forward, pointing a single, accusatory digit in her friend’s direction. “Especially not after last time.” 

“Last time?” Eddie asked tentatively, and June sucked her teeth.

“Let’s just say, I will never look at whipped cream the same way again.” Jean grinned at June’s admission, and shrugged.

“Listen, you’re the one who asked me to be your roommate. You knew what you were getting.” June tried to keep her expression angry, but she couldn’t fight the laughter that began escaping the upturned corners of her lips. “Be safe.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll see you later. Not on the couch, you fucking animals.” 

“I mean, we  _ will _ be fucking like animals—” June didn’t wait for Jean to finish her raunchy retort. She grabbed Eddie’s hand, and began making for the front door, amidst peals of her roommate’s laughter. 

“Come on, Eddie, before she tells another terrible story about me.” June groused, though her tone was light. She shut the door behind them, leaving them alone in the quiet hallway. June’s building was fairly small, and she knew most of her neighbors, at least by sight. She locked the door, and slipped her keys into her handbag as they headed for the stairs. 

“I dunno, I thought the one where you tried to repair your own phone charger was pretty funny, personally.” Eddie replied smugly, still grinning at her in that way that seemed to make June’s thighs tremble.  _ Of course Jeannie told  _ **_that_ ** _ fucking story. Of course she did.  _

“Well, what was I supposed to do?” June replied, laughing in spite of herself. “It was 4 am, we were in the middle of nowhere with two dead cellphones. If I had a million dollars and my own tech company, that would have been called  _ ‘creative problem solving’.  _ But because I’m broke, it’s just ghetto.” Eddie burst out laughing, pausing on the landing as he did so. 

“So uh, how are you? Oh, I rode the bike over, I hope that’s okay.” He replied, smiling lopsidedly at her, his full lips parting as he licked them absentmindedly. June felt herself clench involuntarily as she suddenly remembered, in vivid detail, what exactly the two of them were capable of with said tongue.  _ No. Bad girl. We are  _ **_not_ ** _ fucking him again. He’s being nice to us, and we’re going to be nice back.  _

June ran her fingers across the leather seating, and looked back at Eddie, nodding as she grinned. “Of course. I’m a sucker for fast bikes, you already knew that.” He smiled appreciatively, before running a hand through his short hair. There always seemed to be a wayward part of June’s brain that despite her best efforts, still gave her silly butterflies when Eddie looked at her. Before June could get too bogged down thinking about how she didn’t  _ get _ butterflies, and utterly despised the warm feeling in the pit of her stomach as he placed his hand on the small of her back, Eddie spoke. 

“Guess I should give you this, then,” he said, moving around her to grab his helmet, handing it over as Venom flowed up and around his head, creating a “helmet” of his own. Like a true gentleman, Eddie helped her up onto the bike before mounting it himself, kicking the stand up and revving it. June couldn’t help it, and bunched her fingers in his shirt as she wrapped her hands around his waist. The warmth swelled again, and June was forever thankful that neither Eddie, nor his alien passenger could see the flush in her cheeks.

“Though if I  _ had _ known we were taking the bike, I might have opted for a longer dress.” She replied, and this time it was Venom’s dark chuckle that escaped Eddie’s mouth at her joke. 

**_“Don’t worry. We have no intention of displaying your nudity. Not on the bike, anyway.”_ ** As he spoke, June got the distinct feeling that though Eddie’s body was facing the opposite direction, that Venom was watching her, licking those sharp teeth with that seemingly endless tongue...

_ God dammit. If I get any more worked up I’m going to leave a snail trail on this fucking seat. _

June lived a good thirty minutes from Central Market, where San Francisco was at its most hustle-and-bustle. Eddie’s apartment was much closer, which was why June had been pleasantly surprised when he’d offered to come pick her up. It was strangely endearing, Eddie’s goofy kindness, mixed in part with Venom’s blunt honesty. 

They took off down the street, the hum of the motorcycle vibrating pleasantly between June’s thighs. Eddie was a good driver, and though she was fairly shoddily protected—after all, she  _ was _ only wearing a helmet and her roommate’s dress, which probably only barely counted as clothing anyway. If June hadn’t felt Venom’s smooth, strange flesh slither up to wrap gently around her waist, she’d have been much more worried about ending up street pizza than she was currently. The weight of the symbiote was almost nonexistent, but June seemed to feel it nonetheless. She was acutely aware of Venom’s presence in a way that sort of reminded her of the zebras on the discovery channel; feeling the presence of lions before they’d even made their move. 

Eddie took a sharp left, and June squeezed him reflexively, the momentary fear that they would topple quickly replaced with exhilaration as they crested another hill, allowing gravity to do the heavy lifting as Eddie coasted down the crowded street. It was early evening, and the sun was just beginning to descend, painting all the buildings in gleaming gold light.

June could feel them slowing down, as Eddie drove carefully through the crowd. Central Market was busy as usual, the sidewalk so crowded with bodies that some people were forced out onto the street, where they seemed to be relying on the goodwill of motorists not to hit them. Eddie was patient though, making their way through the sea of bodies and food trucks to a decent parking place. June slid off of the bike, quickly tugging her dress down. 

“So it’s a couple of blocks from here, but parking sucks, so I figured we could walk a little,” Eddie replied, his voice apologetic. June nodded, waving off his concerns. 

“Listen, I didn’t fly off the bike, my dress is still in tact, so as long as I don’t get food poisoning, I’ll consider the evening a smashing success. Lead the way, good sir.” Eddie grinned, stepping around the motorcycle to grasp June’s hand. Her body went rigid for just a moment as electricity shot up her spine and her cheeks burned as though someone had spat fire in her face. 

_ I’ve had his literal tongue in my pussy, but holding hands makes me nervous. What the fuck is wrong with me? _

It felt strangely more intimate to hold Eddie’s hand as they walked to the restaurant than it had to go home with him—hell, than it had been after waking up in his  _ bed _ . She couldn’t explain it. June didn’t  _ do _ relationships anymore, and yet she found herself inexorably drawn to Eddie Brock like a bitch in heat. It was easy enough to tell herself she’d had enough heartbreak and situation-ships to last a lifetime; but when he was there, holding her hand, and cracking the cheesiest jokes she’d ever heard—it was hard to keep up her resolve. It didn’t help that every couple of steps he would rub his thumb across her knuckles absently. 

“I used to come here a lot,” Eddie admitted as he held the door tapestry aside for her. “The owner’s like an artist with fish.”

“I dunno, I’m a New Yorker, Eddie.” June replied jokingly. “I’ve got pretty high standards.”

“And a high tolerance for the smell of hot garbage.” He quipped, and June sputtered, laughing. 

“We’re born with that. And timbs.”

Before Eddie could respond, they were approached by a server, offering to lead them to a table. After she’d set the menus down in front of them, June felt the clammy touch of the symbiote on her thigh. She jumped, bumping Eddie’s foot in the process. She glanced down, and was met with Venom’s white-eyed stare as what she could only describe as a miniature version of his head—teeth and all—came to rest on the booth beside her. 

**_“Hello, June.”_ **

It was still disconcerting to see, but June prided herself on not reacting visibly—or alerting any of the other restaurant patrons to the strange meeting taking place in their booth. She smiled down at him, though the muscles in her thighs tensed when he ran his tongue across his teeth, the memory of the last time she’d seen it bubbling to the surface. 

“Hi Venom,” she replied, settling the napkin across her lap. “Eat anyone good lately?”

Eddie laughed.  **_“Just you.”_ ** June, who had chosen that inopportune moment to take a sip of her water, choked and sputtered, stopping just short of spraying him with it.  _ This is not boding well. _ She choked down the rest of her water, dabbing at her face with a napkin.

“I see you aren’t quite finished trying to kill me,” She muttered, cheeks hot with embarrassment. For his part, Eddie shot a look at Venom, who seemed unaffected either way. He looked at her unblinkingly, as though he didn’t understand how decidedly  _ inappropriate _ it was to bring up the last time he’d had his tongue buried inside her at dinner. 

_ Though to be fair _ , June thought after a moment.  _ He probably doesn’t.  _

“Work any more hot parties?” Eddie asked, rubbing his neck awkwardly. June, grateful for the change in subject—and who was suddenly feeling quite warm—shook her head. 

“Fortunately not. I don’t think I’m recovered from...everything.” She replied, taking another sip of her water. “Besides, it’s about to be audition season, and I’ve got to get my head in the game.” She smacked her fist into her open palm, a determined expression crossing her features. 

“Sorry, I’m not...super familiar with the whole dance world,” he said, gesturing loosely at her. “Audition season? For like plays and stuff, right?”

“Yeah, actually. All the dance troupes hold auditions for new membership for whatever shows they’re running. I got passed over last year, and the year before. But I’m hoping this year will be  _ my  _ year.” 

He looked intrigued, and for a moment, June wondered if the interest was genuine—after all, it wouldn’t be the first time she’d been strung along all while being used as a breathing fleshlight. It seemed real, though, the way his eyes seemed to light with interest as she spoke, the way he watched her as she gesticulated wildly while imitating her roommate—it all spoke authenticity. June had a hard time trusting, and an even harder time being open, but it was easy to get sucked in by Eddie.  _ A little too easy. _

“And what about you?” She asked, resting her elbows on the table. “Working on anything juicy?” 

“Well if you haven’t seen the news, there’s an escaped serial killer loose in California,” he replied, waggling his eyebrows exaggeratedly. “I think there’s a pretty good story there.” The waitress came back to take their food orders, and the both of them ordered drinks. Despite the initial awkwardness of it all, June found herself relaxing. Eddie was easy to talk to, and Venom, well... he was growing on her. 

Two rounds of drinks and several rolls later, June was bent over at the waist, clutching her sides as she laughed. Eddie was laughing too, tears streaming down his cheeks. 

“No, no, I swear. I thought I was gonna walk in, maybe find some compromising paperwork, you know? Standard shit!” He replied between peals of laughter. He was telling her about a “youthful exploit”—as he’d described it. In actuality, however, he’d broken into the private office of a wealthy, well known business owner under scrutiny for supposed wage theft. It was the origin of Eddie’s supposedly scrapped first hit piece, too big for such a little reporter at the time. 

And had found him fucking his receptionist—a man 15 years his senior, while doing puppy play. June wasn’t sure which part was funnier; the discovery, or Eddie’s reaction. 

“So I barge in there—surprise, the door’s unlocked. I’m like ‘oh that’s fucking weird’.” 

**_“And you proceeded anyway.”_ ** Venom interjected. Though he wasn’t human, nor did he seem particularly capable of doing so, June couldn’t help but feel that he was rolling his eyes at Eddie’s tale. She laughed. 

“The receptionist—who, by the way, had turned me away during work hours—was sitting on the desk, shirt open, foot on this guy’s head. The dude’s wearing these dog ears too,” He replied, wiping the tears from his face. “So naturally I snapped a picture. I had only  _ barely _ started at the Times, though,” he said, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table. “Nobody knew who I was, and nobody gave a fuck what I had to say. So, being a dumb, greedy kid, I took the payout.” He admitted, shrugging. June nodded, taking a sip of her sake. 

It wasn’t shameful, no paper in the city would have run that story, and that was way back before the internet had become what it was. June scooted forward as well, glancing around conspiratorially. “Tell the truth, shame the devil. Who was it? I won’t tell.” 

_ Maybe I’ll just tell Jeannie. _

Eddie shook his head, remaining tightlipped. “I can’t click and tell.” June shrugged. “Besides, I don’t want to pretend to be shocked when Jean tells me about it.” June snorted.

“The night is long. There’s time yet to get you wasted and ask again.” The sake was warm in her belly, and though she wasn’t drunk, June was pleasantly tipsy, a warm blush rising to her dark cheeks. When the waitress brought their check, Eddie grabbed it quickly, refusing to let her look at it. 

“Fine, I’ll just find you on that cash app thingy.” She replied snarkily, shrugging. Eddie kept a tight grip on the check until their waitress returned and took it from him. He slipped his wallet back into his pocket, before fixing her with a curious look. 

“So...what now?” 

June glanced at her phone. “Well, it’s only 10. It’s not too late yet for me if you wanted to do something else.”  _ Oh fuck.I shouldn’t have said that. Walk it back.  _ “But you know, only if you want to. Don’t let me twist your arm or anything.” Eddie drained the last of his whiskey from his glass, and shook his head.

**_“We would be pleased to spend more time with you, June.”_ ** Either Venom could tell she was flustered and was capitalizing on it, or he was simply oblivious. 

“What did you have in mind?” Eddie asked, and June shrugged again. 

“We could get more drinks. Oh! I’m pretty sure the Coit Tower is open for another twenty minutes if we wanted to see the city lit up all pretty,” She said, only slightly embarrassed by her own enthusiasm. June had to admit, it had been a good date. Better than she’d anticipated. 

This time, it was Venom who scoffed.  **_“If it’s a view you desire, we can take you someplace no one else can.”_ ** June wasn’t sure if his words were innuendo or simply a statement of fact about his physical prowess, but either way her cheeks heated again, and her mouth went slightly dry at the thought of it. 

**_“Are you afraid of heights, June?”_ **

  
  


—

  
  


_ I’m fucking crazy.  _ It was the only explanation Eddie could come up with that made even an ounce of sense. He had been expecting...well, he wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but it wasn’t... _ this. _

Eddie had expected to suddenly find June boring, vapid maybe. But... she was  _ funny. _ Interesting. And he found himself letting his guard down, telling her things he hadn’t told Anne until they’d been together for  _ years _ . Hell, he’d even told her the story about that wannabe politician from the upper east side—and he’d told almost  _ no one _ that story. 

Stranger still, he felt... at peace? All throughout dinner, he’d felt it, a strange all encompassing sense of calm emanating from...Eddie wasn’t religious, but if he had a soul, it was certainly at east. He knew somehow that Venom was feeling it too. 

**_It is true symbiosis, Eddie._ **

_ Well fuck me.  _

**_In public, Eddie? How positively debauched._ ** Eddie chuckled—lucky for him June had said something funny at the same time.  _ No V. Well. Maybe later.  _

And then, she’d asked if he wanted to spend more time with her. 

Eddie’s body was tingling warmly from the sake—which had been June’s suggestion—but he hesitated. Suddenly Venom seized control.

_ V, what the hell are you doing?!  _ He’d grabbed her hand, and now they were practically dragging her out of the restaurant. 

**_We will give her a view worth looking at, Eddie._ **

Venom didn’t steer them back toward their bike, but instead further down the crowded street, toward the bay. June wasn’t arguing, and though Eddie had his reservations, it didn’t appear Venom had anything too nefarious in mind. He was content to sit back and allow the symbiote to pilot his body. 

“Where are we going?” 

Eddie felt Venom pause to look around. “This way.” He tugged her into an alley—and he felt her pulse speed up where he held her at the wrist. 

“Is this the part where you bite my head off, finally?”

They chuckled.  **_“Hold on to us.”_ ** He felt June dutifully wrap her arms around his shoulders, pressing her soft breasts against the hard planes of his chest. He felt Venom throb with pleasure at the contact, There was no one around, no one paying any attention to them, and with the setting sun on the other side of the city, the alley was dark enough to hide their transformation. June’s breath hitched as suddenly she was hanging off of his shoulders. Venom grinned down at her, bringing their arm up underneath her muscular thighs, his claws caressing her flesh. 

**_“We will not let you fall.”_ ** He was getting the cadence of human speech more and more down pat the longer they were bonded. It helped, having June to talk to as well. Speaking of June, Eddie could hear her heart hammering in her chest as she settled against him, staring up into Venom’s face. 

They squeezed her reassuringly, and felt her relax a bit, though her arms remained locked around their neck. It wasn’t difficult for Venom to maneuver his way up the side of the building with only one arm. He could manifest any number of appendages to assist them in their ascent as he wanted, and he went slower than usual, for June’s sake. Her heart was beating wildly, and they watched her peek fearfully over his massive shoulder at the ground growing further and further away beneath them. 

June flexed, hooking her ankles around his waist as they climbed. It was dusk now, the streets dark but the sky remained a brilliant reddish orange at the horizon. They reached the roof of the building, and Venom broke out into a run across the rooftop, not pausing as he reached the edge—vaulting over it one handed. 

June shrieked once, clutching at him ad they fell for a few seconds before his claws found purchase in the brick wall of the building opposite them. 

They looked down at her, and though her eyes were wide and just a little fearful, there was a thrilled grin on her face as she clung to him. 

**_“Are you alright, June?”_ **

“Um—fuck—terrified. But good. Excited?” She babbled. Eddie had seen interviews after people jumped out of planes, or did other so called “death defying” stunts, and her response reminded him of those. Shock and awe.

**_“We are almost there.”_ **

The next time he jumped, He shot out a tendril to attach itself to the glass window of an office building, sliding a moment before adapting to stick to the surface, crawling upward. Eddie could tell where Venom was headed now—his trajectory was obvious, 

He was taking her to the bridge—Probably the top. Eddie had  _ mostly _ conquered his fear of heights, something he was glad for when Venom approached the edge of the next building. He felt June tighten her grip on them, her arms shaking. They were close to the base of the bridge now, which was good, because he didn’t think June could take much more.

“Holy shit. Oh fuck. Oh fuck.” She was muttering, burying her face in their chest. Venom launched them off of the roof, bounding forward as he aimed for one of the bridge’s supports. They free fell for a few seconds, during which June let out an ear splitting shriek—and then Venom caught the girder, his claws sinking easily into the steel. He climbed for a few moments before June spoke in a small voice. 

“Are we dead?”

**_“No, Morsel. We are here.”_ **

They released her, and for a minute, Eddie thought June might pass out. Her knees were wobbly, and her face a little pale as she took in their surroundings. She squinted, before turning in a small, trembling circle, her hair buffeted by the wind. 

“Are we... are we on top of the golden gate bridge?” She asked breathily, her beautiful eyes wide with a healthy mixture of fear and amazement. They were. Venom stood near her, his arms out protectively just in case the wind got any stronger. The very top of the bridge was no more than ten feet wide, and they could feel the thrum of traffic vibrating up through the metal. 

June stepped backwards into their arms, resting her back against their chest. Her heart was still beating rapidly, though it had slowed some. They stayed like that for a few minutes, watching the sky finally darken completely as the last rays of the sun slipped into the bay. 

“It’s beautiful.” 

Their chest swelled with emotion—Venom was more overjoyed than Eddie had ever seen him, pleased she’d enjoyed their gift. Eddie swallowed thickly. It felt  _ good _ , holding her like that. They lowered their chin to rest on the top of her curly head, Venom’s wide white eyes sliding half shut as they stroked their claws gently up and down her arms. Another strong bout of wind ruffled her hair, and June shivered, burrowing further into them. 

“Your idea of a view isn’t half bad, Venom.” She replied, turning to kiss his cheek. “Thank you for showing me. Even if I did almost go into cardiac arrest to get here.” 

Venom chuckled.  **_“But you did not.”_ ** The symbiote was practically purring, dipping their head lower to sniff at the juncture between her neck and shoulder.  **_“We told you we would not let you fall. We will_ ** **_never_ ** **_allow harm to befall you, June.”_ **

June giggled. “That  _ does _ make me feel safe, despite the circumstances.” She gestured around them with a nod of her head. Eddie’s chest felt warm and tight—on one hand, that made him want to do fucking  _ backflips.  _ He wasn’t sure why, maybe it was the possibility of this being a real relationship that made him happy. 

But it also made him anxious. 

It made him think about Anne. 

And most of all... it made him afraid. He’d been expecting the conflict of feelings, but the fear was new. He was afraid to open himself up to it happening  _ again.  _ Because the scary part was, he could see himself with June. It was a possibility, certainly—she was funny and driven, easy to get along with.

_ Not to mention amazing in the sack... _

Unbidden, images of June came to his mind. On her knees, taking his—taking **_their—_ ** orders—

**_You are going to make us hard, Eddie._ **

_ Well you’re the one pouring out all our feelings, you big sap.  _

**_So you admit we have feelings._ **

“I don’t know what you guys are arguing about, but I’m starting to feel left out,” June replied, reaching up and behind her to stroke the line of Venom’s chin with the pads of her fingers. Unbidden, a shudder ran down Eddie’s spine at the contact.  _ Fuck. _

**_“Eddie is being difficult.”_ **

“Eddie, are you being difficult?” June replied, turning in their arms to face him, a little grin on her face. He felt Venom pull back, the symbiote peeling away to reveal Eddie’s face underneath. “What, not having fun?” She asked softly, tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear. Eddie’s brain felt crowded with thoughts and emotions, all vying for first pick to his mouth. “I’m having a  _ great _ time.” Eddie leaned forward to press his lips to hers. It  _ had _ been an amazing date. June tasted like sake, and he found he enjoyed the taste of it on her tongue. The feeling of kissing her was something Eddie found himself growing all too accustomed to; the yielding of her soft mouth, her teeth pulling at his bottom lip...

“Lets get out of here.” He said suddenly, the words muffled against her lips. “Come back to my place.” 

June sighed, melting further into their embrace. “ _ God _ I want to. But I have class first thing tomorrow, and I don’t want to shower in the locker room again.” She grimaced at the memory. “It always smells like feet in there.” 

Eddie chuckled. It was probably for the best anyway, it was late, and he had work tomorrow too. It didn’t make the idea of wrapping June’s thighs around his waist as he sunk in any less appealing, though. 

“Let’s call it a night then. Maybe we can do something this weekend?” He replied, his voice more hopeful than he’d meant to let on. 

“Totally. Maybe we can climb another bridge,” June joked, looking around them. Her eyebrows wrinkled as she seemed to catch onto the tail end of a thought before she 68looked at him, cocking her head. “Um, Eddie?”

“Hmm?”

“How are we getting down?”

  
  


_ To be continued... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope everyone is enjoying this. As always, please let me know if I missed anything while editing! I’m also in the market for a Beta, so if anyone is interested, please reach out!


	4. Tartare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where Eddie spends the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings: There’s description of a harmful mental health treatment that amounts to physical torture. Please be advised!

“And what was your impression of him?” Eddie held up the voice recorder, checking to make sure his thumb wasn’t covering the microphone. The old security guard he was interviewing took a sip of his coffee as he contemplated his answer. 

“You wouldn’t be here, askin’ bout him if you hadn’t read his file,” he said slowly, setting the cup down on the empty chessboard in front of him. It was early morning, and Eddie was at the park. He’d tracked down one of Kasady’s first handlers.

“It weren’t like it is now, you know. Doctors treated them like shit in those hospitals. Cletus used to scream at night, sometimes. Howl, like animal dyin’. Doc used to have us bring in hoses, spray him down till he stopped. Took us hours once.” He stopped to take another sip of his coffee. “We thought he was in there screamin’. All night, screamin. But when I turned the hose on him that last mornin, I swear...” He paused, his hands trembling a little. 

“Mr. Haversham?” 

“It sounded like he were laughing. Screaming—laughing. Most terrible sound I ever heard.” He wasn’t sure if the old man’s hands shook because of age, or at the memory. “That was the last night I spent at the hospital. Don’t know where Cletus went after that.” 

Eddie nodded. It had taken him three days to track down Devin Haversham, and he’d found him in the park, throwing bread to the pigeons. It hadn’t cost Eddie but four bucks to get the story out of him; the price of a cup of coffee from the street cart by the corner. Haversham was in his eighties, and had been an orderly at the very first hospital where Cletus had been committed as a teenager. By now, Eddie had thumbed through three different files on Kasady, though of course he could only finagle so much out of the police department without the proper paperwork. While it was true that Earl wasn’t necessarily  _ aware _ that Eddie was working on a Cletus Kasady piece, no one else had pitched one to him yet, and Eddie didn’t want to get caught with his pants around his ankles. He wanted to be the first reporter on their payroll to bite into  _ that _ juicy story. 

“Thank you so much for your time, Mr. Haversham. Can I contact you if I have any more questions?”

The old man nodded. Eddie gathered his things, and took down the other man’s information, just in case. He’d make sure Earl cut him a check too—just to cover all his bases.

**_We do not have ‘serial killers’ on Klyntar._ **

“No, you all just do your killing regular like,” Eddie replied, thumbing through his notes. He could tell Venom was interested in the human morality surrounding the story. “That’s what they call  _ us _ , you know.” 

Venom snorted. 

**_We do not stoop to senseless violence._ **

Eddie could tell that Venom wasn’t quite going to grasp the nuances of the conversation, and simply shrugged. “Was an invasion necessary violence?” Eddie asked smugly, and he felt Venom bristle.

**_The advancement of my race seemed a fair cause at the time._ **

“Fair point. Just saying.” 

Eddie tucked his notes and voice recorder into his bag before shouldering it and heading off down the street. One of the best parts of working for the paper was that he could technically work anywhere, once he had a story he was chasing. Earl was fairly lenient about time spent in the office, so long as Eddie hit his deadlines. 

Since his date with June a few days prior, he’d thrown himself headfirst into the Kasady piece he was drafting. That was how he’d found Devin Haversham—on a list of orderlies employed at the institution Kasady had been sent to as a kid. 

Just after murdering his own grandmother. Eddie shivered at the thought. Kasady had been in and out of hospital after hospital until young adulthood, when he’d steadily amped up the violence until he was eleven bodies deep, and caught, thankfully. 

But now he was out again, and Eddie knew it wouldn’t be long before bodies began cropping up. 

Eddie stopped at a street cart for a hot dog as he walked aimlessly, his mind turning over the facts again and again. He’d gone a few blocks, when suddenly he felt Venom restrict their legs, stopping him in his tracks. Were it not for the symbiote’s precise control of their muscles, Eddie would have tumbled forward, but as it was, he simply stood rigidly on the sidewalk, hot dog halfway to his mouth. 

“What the fuck, V?” He hissed, looking around. A few people had taken notice of his odd behavior, and were glancing nervously at him, but for the most part no one had seen. 

**_I smell June, Eddie._ **

They had texted some in the days following their date, but neither of their schedules were cooperating enough to allow them to actually meet up again. Eddie had been feeling restless, part of why he was so intent on chasing down every plausible lead he could find. That same nervous energy had propelled him forward after the interview, and was running up and down the backs of his legs as Venom held him there, stuck. 

They were in front of the studio where he’d dropped her off, and though the scent was faint, he could smell her too— that tart, citrus-y scent he’d come to associate with her, like she’d been standing out there on the sidewalk. 

_ Well what do you want me to do about it? I can’t find her if you stick us to the fucking sidewalk like chewing gum.  _

**_She’s inside, Eddie._ **

He felt his legs release, and Eddie stumbled forward a few steps, his face reddening. “Dammit, V.” 

The outside of the building wasn’t anything special—the name of the school printed in large, shiny type above the door.  _ ODC Dance Commons. _

Eddie hesitated as he reached for the door. Was it really appropriate for him to barge in on her? After all, it wasn’t like she’d told him her schedule. The last thing he needed was for the only woman to have caught his interest in eight months to think he was a weird stalker. 

**_She’s already seen us eat brains, Eddie. I doubt our presence will disturb her that much._ **

Eddie wanted to interject that that was no small thing, but he had a feeling if he argued with Venom now, they would be stuck awkwardly in the doorway until someone tried to enter or exit around them.

He pushed against the door and it swung open easily, lo-fi lounge music filling his ears as he stepped in. There was a little seating area off to his left, with a small cafe, and to his right, more chairs set up by the large windows. There was a reception desk, which he made his way over to. 

“I’m looking for someone, maybe you can help me?” Eddie replied, putting on his best charming smile. The girl behind the counter was young, possibly fresh out of high-school. She giggled, twirling her hair. 

“Oh, yeah, totally! Like, who are you looking for? What department, I mean?” He got the feeling she probably wasn’t supposed to disclose that information, but he knew a first job when he saw one, and he wasn’t really opposed to taking advantage of that. 

_ Fuck. _

_ “ _ **_June does contemporary dance and hip hop.”_ ** Venom’s smooth voice came from Eddie’s lips as he blanked on the knowledge. 

_ Why do you remember that but I don’t?  _

**_Because you are what people call a ‘tool’, Eddie._ **

Eddie snorted out a laugh, and the girl glanced up at him, confused. “Sorry. Not you. Just remembered a funny joke.” 

“Okay, well she’s on the third floor! Room 22a. Just wait for the class to be done before you go in, okay?” 

Eddie nodded, and Venom carried them up the stairs, taking them two at a time. When he reached the third floor, he peeked into the classrooms as he walked by them—though they were more dance studios than classrooms. The hallway was crowded with people all doing the same thing he was, peeking in the windows, watching. 

**_Here._ **

He stopped in front of room 22a, where there were several other students all clustered around the door and glass paned window into the room. He couldn’t hear the music, but he could see about eight people dancing in unison, while still more sat far back against the wall, watching. Someone, who Eddie assumed was the instructor, got up and walked over to the stereo, tapping a button. The dancers stopped moving, all turning to face the teacher, who it seemed was giving them blow by blows. He pointed, and the students all parted as he motioned for someone to come forward. 

_ June. _

June’s mane of wild hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun, a few tendrils escaping to frame her heart shaped face. Her plump lips were slightly parted as she panted, her chest glistening with sweat. The teacher spoke to her, watching her demonstrate the move a few times before lifting her arms higher, straightening her back. 

June, for her part, was beaming, a wide grin on her face even as she strained to follow the instructions. When he nodded, he clapped his hands, gesturing for everyone to leave. Eddie stepped away from the door as it swung open, people filing out of the room. The watchers also dispersed, talking amongst themselves. Eddie waited until most of the other students had left before stepping into the room. June was stretching, her leg resting on the barre attached to the mirror on the opposite side. 

The light filtering into the room seemed to settle around her like a halo, her brown skin shining almost golden in the afternoon sun. She caught sight of him in the mirror, her face moving from shock to joy in an instant. 

“Eddie!” She turned rapidly, smiling at him. “How did you know where I was?” He watched her move away from the mirror and walk over to her bag, producing a towel. She slung it around her shoulders, fanning herself absently with one hand as she tried to cool down. 

“The girl at the front desk probably needs another training session, she’s just letting anyone in down there.” He replied, adjusting the position of his messenger bag on his shoulder. June laughed. 

“Yeah, Lisa’s not the brightest bulb in the box. I can’t believe you remembered... all this,” she said, her cheeks coloring slightly. “I wasn’t expecting to see you,” She said softly, stretching again, rolling from her heels to the balls of her bare feet. June was wearing oversized sweatpants, with only a sports bra on top. She didn’t seem particularly bothered by her state of undress, but Eddie couldn’t stop his lip from curling when a young man poked his head into the room, his eyes raking over June’s form hungrily. 

“Jay, you guys done in here? I was hoping you could go over the routine with me just  _ one _ more time.” His voice dripped with false sincerity as he leaned against the doorframe. June turned to face him, still holding her towel. He was young, younger than both Eddie  _ and _ June, though that didn’t seem to be stopping him. Jet black hair, strong jaw. He could see the appeal. 

“Oh, Garret. Um,” Her eyes flicked between the two of them for an instant. “Eddie would you mind waiting? If not that’s totally cool.” Eddie glanced at Garret, fighting the urge to sneer. 

“Course not.” He settled himself against the wall. “I was thinking we could do something after you were done.” 

**_No you weren’t Eddie._ **

_ Shut up.  _

June beamed. “Awesome!” She turned to Garret, who, Eddie noted, had been thoroughly eye-fucking her while her back was turned.  **_I don’t like how he looks at her._ ** Eddie found himself agreeing—he’d only meant to stop in, maybe chat a bit, see if she wanted to do something later, but now Eddie found himself rooted to the spot. He wasn’t leaving until June left—something about Garret left a bad taste in his mouth, and Eddie wasn’t interested in rolling that gamble, not with her. “Right, so what’s confusing you?” She asked, walking back over to the stereo. 

Garret shrugged, cutting his eyes over to Eddie, who was watching him intently. He grinned, motioning with his chin at June bending over, oblivious to their attention. Eddie pressed his lips together firmly, while Venom muttered darkly in his skull. 

**_We should rip his spine out, before eating his brain._ **

_ Guys are shitty, V. We can’t tear people up just for looking at her. _ Though, when Garret licked his lips lasciviously at June’s ass, he found himself reconsidering. The thought of them dancing together, of fucking  _ Garret’s  _ hands on June’s sweat slicked skin set his teeth on edge. 

“I guess the chorus,” he replied loftily, though Eddie could see this was clearly calculated. 

“Oh yeah, that part was hard for me too. Okay, so let’s try without music first. You’re doing the back part, right?” June slid smoothly down to her knees, motioning for Garret to do the same. He did so, his eyes glued to June’s lithe form. “And then you kick back, kind of like you’re doing donkey kicks at the gym,” She replied, leaning forward to slide her left leg back behind her. “Around—yeah, like that, but smoother—and then back up.” She popped up to standing, her arms folded on her chest. She glanced at Garret, and cleared her throat. “My eyes are up here, dude.” 

“Sorry.” 

**_He doesn’t sound sorry._ **

“...Right. And then you’re going to grab your front-person’s waist—” June squeaked as his hands locked around her narrow waist. It seemed like she hadn’t been expecting him to touch her, and a brief look of discomfort passed over her features. “Y-yeah, like that. And then you turn, turn, drop—yep. You got it.” 

“Ready to try it with the music?” 

It felt like Venom was ready to burst from Eddie’s skin, he could feel the symbiote’s own irritation and jealousy creeping up his spine like it was his own. Maybe it  _ was _ his own. He hated seeing Garret touch her—maybe even more than he hated seeing the other engagement ring on Annie’s finger. It was the only other time that Eddie could remember feeling such jealous rage—the only difference being that now, he had an alien super-soldier who could destroy the opposition with a simple swipe of his claws. 

For the first time, Eddie found himself fantasizing about ripping the entrails out of this interloper’s abdomen and then fucking June covered in his blood—

**_That’s a good one, Eddie. I like that._ **

Eddie swallowed thickly. He’d never act on it... but watching Garret stare at June’s ass as she made her way back over to the stereo made him waver, just a bit. 

“Okay, and one, two, and—”

  
  


As much as Eddie despised watching her with someone else, he had to admit that seeing June dance was like poetry in motion. She moved smoothly, fluidly, so much so that she made it look easy. She’d barely broken a sweat by the time she’d gone through the routine three times. 

“You’re amazing, Jay. Seriously, amazing.” Garret’s honeyed praise grated on Eddie’s ears as he spoke. “I was like, so confused, you’re so  _ talented. _ ” June smiled thinly as she reached for her towel again, sitting down next to Eddie as she reached for her shoes and socks. 

“You didn’t seem that lost.” Her tone was light, but there was a hard edge to her voice. June  _ knew _ Garret’s game, and she was no longer interested in playing with him. “I’m sure if you ask anyone else they can give you a hand next time.” The unspoken part of her sentence hung in the air—because June would not be helping him again. 

“Yeah, sure thing. I was wondering if you were busy later—”

**_“We have plans.”_ ** Venom draped their arm over June’s shoulders possessively as he spoke.  **_“And you are_ ** **_not_ ** **_invited.”_ **

Garret held his hands up placatingly, shaking his head. “You must have it all wrong. We’re all friends here dude. I’ll catch you later, June.” 

She watched him go silently, before turning to Eddie. “You didn’t want to invite him?” She asked sarcastically, and Venom snorted. 

**_“We don’t need an audience.”_ ** Eddie grinned as June shifted, the spiking scent of her arousal worming it’s way into his brain. “Besides, it didn’t seem like you liked Garth very much.” 

“Garret.”

“Whatever.” Eddie shrugged, and June laughed. 

“So you just came by to...watch me dance with other men, and then be pissy about it, or what?” She asked, taking a swig from her water bottle. 

“More you, less other men,” Eddie replied, leaning back against the wall. “Besides, I’d never seen you dance before. I wanted to make sure you weren’t just pulling our leg about those mad skills.”

She slipped her socks on, and then stood to step into her shoes, balancing herself by leaning liberally on Eddie’s broad shoulder. “Mad skills? God, you’re older than I thought you were,” She snarked, and Eddie chuckled. Before he’d really realized what he was doing, he grabbed her wrist, tugging her down into his lap. June squirmed uncomfortably. 

“No, Eddie! Come on, I’m all sweaty and gross.” 

Eddie shook his head, his eyes rolling to half mast as he resisted the urge to run his tongue up the side of her throat. Maybe when he was  _ just _ human, the smell of sweat was unpleasant. But with Venom aiding him, it was more than just sweat—it was the cocktail of pheromones and scent markers that were just so intrinsically  _ June _ that it made him dizzy. It was hard for Eddie to admit, but he’d  _ missed _ June. He hadn’t seen her all week, and he’d  _ wanted _ her. The weight of her in his lap was comfortable even though she was fidgeting, tucking loose strands of her hair back into her bun.

“I like you sweaty and gross,” He said softly, his mouth just inches from her skin. He was suddenly tempted to suck the skin of her soft throat into his mouth, nip it with his teeth until her beautiful brown skin turned purple and dark. 

**_Perhaps if we had marked her last time, it might have prevented Garret from sniffing around._ ** Venom replied, his casual encouragement grating on Eddie’s waning self control. He supposed it made sense in a strange kind of way—humans  _ were _ animals after all. 

June slapped at his insistent hands around her narrow waist, but Eddie didn’t bother restraining them. “What did you have in mind?” She asked, crossing her arms underneath her breasts, unintentionally pushing them upward. “I hope it wasn’t ambushing me in the practice room because there’s another class in here in like, an hour.” She joked, flashing a smile at him. 

**_We could be done in an hour._ **

Eddie hadn’t  _ actually _ thought of anything, and Venom hadn’t helped, backing him up in front of the other man. Now that he was here, though, he  _ did _ want to spend the afternoon with June—he’d worked enough. 

“To be honest, I was just saying that so that  _ Garret _ would fuck off,” he replied, and June let out a surprised sounding laugh. Eddie shrugged, chuckling. 

**_“We do not share.”_ **

“Yes, you made that  _ abundantly _ clear,” June said, shaking her head amusedly. “Listen, I want to shower, change clothes, maybe eat something. If you’re serious about hanging out, maybe you could come back with me to my place?” She asked him a bit haltingly, as though she weren’t  _ quite _ sure about her decision. Before Eddie could overthink his answer like June almost had her question, Venom saved him the trouble. 

**_“We would love to.”_ **

-

June insisted her apartment wasn’t too far from the school on the bus, but Eddie, used to his motorcycle, had found it tedious. 

“Oh come on. Don’t be a baby, not everyone has a car,” she replied snarkily, and Venom had actually laughed. Eddie glanced around her room, casting one wary eye at the door, before tiptoeing across the carpet to peek under her pillow. He’d snuck into enough girl’s rooms in his day to know the under-the-pillow-hiding-spot. 

**_“There’s no need for stealth, Eddie. June is still in the shower.”_ **

“You’re a real buzzkill sometimes, V.” Eddie replied, rolling his eyes. As he thought, there  _ were _ a couple of things under her pillow of note—a small notebook he assumed was a journal, and...

_ Oh baby.  _

Though unnatural in color, it was obvious what it was—a fair sized purple dildo was under June’s pillow, and Eddie swallowed tightly. What he  _ wanted _ was to use his symbiote heightened senses to sniff the object in question, see if she’d used it recently.  _ Maybe _ lick it, if the scent was strong enough—but he resisted. He replaced the pillow, his mouth dry. 

**_“If our morsel wanted something buried in her, she would have done better to ask us.”_ **

Eddie didn’t really have the brain capacity to argue with Venom about his liberal usage of the word “our”, and before his short circuiting brain could reconnect to form a sentence, he spoke again.  **_“Quick, Eddie. June is out of the shower.”_ **

That spurred him into action, and Eddie replaced the pillow, Venom helping them keep their steps as light as they could be as he tiptoed back down the hallway to the living room. After a minute or two, he heard her footsteps in the hall, heading towards her room. She didn’t bother closing the door, which triggered another bout of considerably dirty thoughts in Eddie’s head—the most prominent of which being that he should walk in there and rip the towel off her before parting her thighs to get at that sweet pussy—but he thought better of it.

**_Why not?_ ** Venom pouted, and Eddie could feel the almost physical itch to grab her anyway. 

_ Because good things come to those who wait, V. _

After another few minutes, June emerged from the hallway, a towel underneath her still damp hair. It normally fell in kinky spirals down past her shoulders, but wet, it stretched even further, almost to her mid back. She wore a pair of leggings, and a white, cropped t-shirt. Underneath, Eddie could see she’d forgone a bra, her semi-stiff nipples pushing out against the fabric. 

If June was aware of his—slightly lecherous—stares, she said nothing, grinning at him as she came around the coffee table. “Sorry about that. All better now though,” she said, settling next to him on the couch. The easy expression on her face turned panicked as she jumped back up, and then eyed the cushion warily. “Does the couch feel wet to you, or is that just my hair and my paranoia?” She replied suspiciously. Eddie could tell she was thinking about what Jeannie had possibly done on that couch in her absence, but he eased her fears. 

“It’s just your hair, I think.” 

**_Though it does appear Jean_ ** **_did_ ** **_have sex here last night._ **

_ Don’t tell her.  _

June settled back onto the sofa, sweeping her hair over her shoulder. Eddie couldn’t help himself, scooting closer to wrap his arm around her shoulders. “I was hoping to take it kind of easy tonight, if that’s cool with you?” She replied sheepishly, peeking up at him through her hair as she reached for the remote. “Like stay in, I mean.” 

**_“We do so love having you to ourselves.”_ ** Venom purred, appearing over Eddie’s opposite shoulder. They squeezed her hip affectionately through the leggings, and she smiled gratefully.  **_“Staying in would be nice.”_ **

It was true, Eddie had been running around all over California the past couple of days, it would be nice to take it easy. June turned the TV on, leaning against him fully. Though they’d already slept together, this felt somehow more intimate, June curled up against him, her damp head on his shoulder as they searched for something to watch. 

The last person Eddie had cuddled with had been Anne. He was still used to her shape, the slim, angular planes of her body at odds with June’s smooth muscle and padding. He glanced down at her. It felt  _ better. _

They flipped through several channels before June got tired of Eddie’s indecision, and went for her streaming apps, picking something out without consulting him again. 

“Honestly I don’t blame you, I’d have taken forever.” 

“You already did,” She groused, burrowing further into Eddie’s chest. June was half in his lap at this point, her knees tucked into her stomach as she lounged next to and on him. Venom had spread down Eddie’s right arm, curling it comfortably around June and idly stroking the bare skin of her belly. 

“Are you working on anything cool?” She asked, turning to look up at him. Eddie swallowed, finding his mouth suddenly dry. It was different, being here in June’s apartment as opposed to his own. He was surrounded by her scent. It was oozing out of the couch beneath them, the rug, the fucking  _ walls _ . It was maddening. It was only through Eddie’s sheer force of will—and probably Venom’s control of their central nervous system—that kept him from being hopelessly hard against her. 

“Mm. A big one. I can’t tell you yet, unfortunately.” He said softly, chuckling at her pursed lips as he tapped the tip of her nose with his index finger. “Nice try, though.” 

June did her best to look unbothered, which made him laugh a little harder. “What can I say? I’m nosey.” He could tell she’d really been curious though, which was...surprisingly adorable. Anne had appreciated his career—the prestige, his name, his work’s impact, all of that had been great. But in terms of her personal interest in what he was writing? Passing, at best. And he hadn’t minded, it wasn’t as though he’d been ass deep in her career either. 

Probably why it had stung all the more when he’d done what he did. 

“What was that dance you were doing at the studio?” Eddie asked, looking down at June. She smiled wryly at him. 

“If I were petty I would tell you  _ ‘sorry, I can’t tell you yet’, _ ” She said, sniffing. “But it’s the choreography for the summer showcase. We’re all going to perform individually, but we all learn it together, usually.” Eddie raised an eyebrow. That made Garret’s request earlier even more intriguing. 

**_“He’s your rival, then?”_ ** Venom asked, cocking their head. June nodded, shrugging. 

“I guess? I mean yeah, we’re competing for spots in the company—well, any company, really—but I don’t really… think about it that way. I mean, like I said, we all audition solo. So if they pick you, it’s about  _ you.  _ About your skills, your… I dunno, your  _ vibe. _ ” She said, emphasizing the last word with a dramatic flutter of her hands. She laughed at herself before continuing. “Besides. I firmly believe that what is  _ for _ you can never not be for you. I’m going to get the spot if I’m going to get it. Besides. I’m only twenty six, I’ve got plenty of time to make it.” 

“Forgive me for being a pessimist,” Eddie replied, Venom still stroking her arm with their fingers. “But what if you don’t? You know, make it?” 

June laughed, shaking her head. “I’m going to make it.” She set her chin defiantly, eyes flashing. 

He admired her confidence—he’d felt the same way about his own career. “And there will always be rich socialites throwing birthday parties.” That made her smile up at him. 

“Well, right now I’m doing tutoring and making a mint because of audition season, but we’ll revisit that in the winter.” 

She bit her own lip softly, and their eyes followed the path of her teeth as they worried her flesh between them. “Where’s Jean?” He asked, his voice low. Eddie was a little drunk on her, and if he reached out along their connection, he had a feeling he would find Venom was, too. Eddie wasn’t a romantic, he wasn’t particularly good at flowery prose or anything. But with June looking up at him through her lashes, lips slightly parted, heartbeat fluttering nervously under his fingertips… it just  _ did  _ something to him. 

“She’s…um, she’s out. Probably at Leslie’s.” She replied, watching the slow grin spread across his face. He wasn’t sure if it was him, or V, or  _ both— _ but he hoisted her up easily, pressing his lips to hers. June yielded under him instantly, a tiny moan escaping her. 

**_“Good.”_ **

June twisted in his grip, tossing her leg over his lap to straddle him. Venom nodded their head in approval, reaching up to grasp her chin between his fingers. June’s quickly exhaled breath puffed against their fingers as he leaned down to suck her bottom lip into his own mouth, mirroring her earlier motion and nipping it with blunt teeth. She moaned, wrapping her arms around his neck as she leaned in. Eddie’s hands found their way to her hips, steadying them—and locking her in place. Now that he knew no distractions were likely to happen in the next little while… 

Options bloomed in Eddie’s mind’s eye like flowers; things he wanted to try, things he hoped June would  _ let _ him try. For someone so active and leanly muscular, June was so  _ soft _ under his hands, the taut skin of her belly trembling as he trailed his fingers lightly up her skin. “I can’t lie, I’ve been thinking about this ever since I walked into the studio earlier.” 

He saw her eyes widen slightly, and an expression he was unsure how to read crossed her face, before she smiled at him, though not quite as wide as before. “Oh? I thought you might have an ulterior motive,” she replied, one of her hands straying down his chest. “I didn’t think you were visiting just to see all of ODC’s various talent.” 

**_“Our motives are hardly ulterior.”_ ** Venom interjected. Eddie was starting to feel that strange twinning sensation again, but this time, he knew what it meant. He and Venom were moving in sync again—acting like one singular being instead of two. June chuckled at this, though her laughter was cut short as they bucked their hips upward, already half hard cock rubbing against her sensitive slit. She let out a little hiss, and they groaned. This time, Eddie’s head was clear enough to notice the blackened threads of the symbiote running up and down his arms. Their hands, still tight around June’s hips, looked like they’d been dipped in ink, his fingers completely black until the second knuckle. 

June didn’t seem particularly disturbed by these physical changes—maybe this had happened the first time they’d been with her. They groaned as the blunt tips of her fingernails bit into his skin, too weak to break it of course, though they enjoyed the sensation. She practically purred in his arms, reaching up under his shirt to drag them down the hard planes of his chest again. June’s eyes were lidded, but they could still see the defiant, aggressive streak they were reluctantly coming to admire plainly within. 

**_“Obstinate morsel.”_ ** They said gruffly, ire rising as she had the nerve to giggle. They could tell it was different this time; last time June had submitted so prettily to them, and though they were eager to experience that again— _ possibly as many times as she would let them— _ they could tell that some part of her demeanor had changed. Maybe she’d taken offense to something they’d said earlier, but there was no denying the spark of challenge in her expression, and the combative tilt of her chin. 

Luckily for June, neither of them had ever shied away from a confrontation before. Especially not when the prize was so tempting. As though reading their thoughts, June bent her head to press a kiss to the side of his throat, her teeth nipping the skin. Eddie and Venom groaned in unison, their voices in strange harmony as she continued her ministrations. 

Eddie’s hips ground upward without—or perhaps in spite of—his control, trying to relieve some of the pressure in his achingly hard cock. June lifted herself at the last minute, arching her back as she pressed her knees into his thighs for leverage. A knowing smirk graced her lips for half a second as she pulled away, denying them the relief of contact. They growled in frustration. 

**_“We did not know it was games you were after, June.”_ ** In one swift motion, they lifted her easily. She squeaked, falling to the side as they tossed her easily from their lap to the couch. She tried to get her bearings, but they were too fast, pressing her arms above her head and pinning them. Eddie had never overpowered her before, and for a moment the musky perfume of her arousal was colored by the tang of fear, but it dissipated almost instantly. 

She writhed against them, attempting to buck Eddie’s heavier body off of hers, but was met with little success. All June was able to accomplish was to wedge herself further beneath his hips, his glossy white eyes open and staring at down at her intently. 

“If this were a game it’s decidedly in your favor,” she replied. 

**_“Oh no,”_ ** They clucked out a sarcastic apology, trapping her wrists with one hand as the other roved her chest, tweaking her nipples between their fingers until they were hard points, sticking out obviously under her shirt.  **_“Morsel only likes playing games she can win.”_ ** June shook her head in disagreement, but they didn’t really need her answer. They could smell the slick between her thighs stronger than ever now—they weren’t sure why she was being stubborn. 

**_“You like when we hold you down.”_ ** Another squeeze of her soft breasts, and he ran his claws down the thin fabric of her shirt, watching the material split and tear as they did so. A tiny moan escaped her slightly parted lips. The scraps of fabric fell to the side, useless. They continued their downward path, fingers stopping briefly at the waistband of her leggings.  **_“And when we tell you what to do.”_ ** Eddie was briefly aware that when his consciousness was just his own again that he  _ might _ regret shredding June’s clothing, but seeing as she wasn’t  _ currently _ complaining, that thought was banished to the ether. 

Their claws tore through the paper thin fabric with no resistance, leaving raised reddened lines on the soft flesh of her thighs for their efforts.  **_“Beautiful.”_ ** They ran their fingers across the raised flesh, drawing goosebumps to the surface of her skin. They dipped their head down, licking the side of her neck as she let out a tiny whine. 

“Eddie,” Her voice was high pitched and needy, and they grinned against her throat. Her hips pressed up against him as she undulated, trying to gain just an iota of contact to take the pressure off. They grinned, pulling away as she growled in frustration.

**_“Yes, morsel?”_ ** They taunted. It was exquisite, watching her struggle uselessly against their hold. They were  _ so _ much stronger than her it was laughable—but that made them all the more careful with how hard they pressed down on the delicate bones of her wrist. Without warning, June leaned up to kiss them, pressing her lips against theirs, swiping her tongue across his bottom lip. 

“Fuck me already.” She breathed the words against their mouth, her soft breasts pressing into their chest. June’s thigh came up to rub along the throbbing mass of their cock and they growled, pulling her against them hard. 

**_“So bossy.”_ ** They chuckled, sliding a clawed finger through her folds to check her readiness. She was wet—they’d known she would be, her pussy throbbing and practically sucking their fingers in in her eagerness.  **_“So ready for us, morsel.”_ ** They teased, stroking her. June whined, bucking her hips in a futile attempt to force his hand—literally. It was no use, though. Eddie’s grip on her wrists kept her pinned to the couch, and they simply pulled back, grinning lasciviously.  **_“Beg.”_ **

They watched with amusement as her expression shifted from lusty and demanding to irritated as she shifted underneath them, trying to throw them off. Their cock ground hard against her thigh again, and they licked their lips, leaning down until their mouths were almost touching. 

**_“Fucking_ ** **_beg_ ** **_, June.”_ **

As they spoke, they dragged their finger in slow circles around her clit, never  _ quite _ touching it, or giving enough pressure to provide any sort of relief. Though her expression was less than pleased, it was clear that June couldn’t stop her hips from pressing hard into their hand, or the delicious little whimper that escaped her throat. 

“I want you to fuck me,” She said, her tone whiny and petulant. They chuckled. 

**_“You can do better.”_ **

She swallowed audibly. “Goddammit. I-I want you to fill me up, Eddie.” At her admission, they slid a finger into her pussy, their smile widening as she moaned. “Please, Eddie. Please fuck me.” They kept pumping, slowly parting her with a single digit. She undulated, shuddering with pleasure. Just as Eddie thought they might have to encourage her to keep begging so prettily, June did it on her own, her raspy voice in their ear spurring them on. 

“God, I want you to fuck me so hard I hurt after,” Her lips brushed their ear, and they growled, pairing a second finger with the first, thrusting harder. She keened, her breath hitching. “Please!”

At her final gasped plea, they withdrew their fingers and popped the button on their jeans. It landed somewhere on the floor, but they were far too distracted with lining themselves up with her dripping entrance to care. Their cock throbbed with anticipation, clear precum leaking from his tip. 

**_“Good job, morsel.”_ ** She clenched at their praise, her pussy squeezing around their tip as it pressed inside. A low sound made its way out of her parted lips as they sunk in slowly, savoring the feel of her slowly enveloping them.  **_“Such a good job.”_ **

“Oh fuck.”

She was squeezing them so hard, the tight, wet heat of her pussy clenching around them was almost enough to force them to spill right there. Eddie could remember thinking that maybe once they’d had her, she’d be out of their system. But it didn’t seem as though June would be so easily gotten rid of. The feel of her soft, supple skin yielding under their hands was addicting, and Eddie was quickly realizing just how much he liked it. 

**_You’re thinking too much, Eddie._ **

They drew back, June’s desperate little moans egging them on as they drove in to the hilt. She gasped, arching her back. Her hands were still pinned under their heavy grip, and they released her. Instantly she began stroking their shoulders, wrapping one arm tightly around the back of their neck as she fisted the other in their hair, forcing them down for a kiss. 

They chuckled against her mouth, before bracing one foot on the floor and grasped her hips, bringing her up to meet their hard thrusts. “Oh  _ God _ , Eddie—” Her ragged, breathy gasp sent electricity shooting up their spine, and they pulled her up and onto their lap as they threw themselves back onto the couch, thrusting up into her dripping pussy without missing a beat. 

This time, Eddie didn’t try to hold Venom back, trusting him not to go overboard. But what  _ was _ overboard when every rough grasp, every bite and scratch and meeting of their bodies was met with June’s cries of pleasure? As if to illustrate that thought, they leaned forward to drag their teeth down her throat hard, leaving angry red welts in their wake. She clamped down on them like a vice, squeezing their cock so hard, Eddie threw his head back, groaning. 

**_“Fuck!”_ **

Their hands strayed over her breasts, cupping and pinching them, pulling her hard nipples taut between their fingers as she bounced on their cock. It was ecstasy, the feeling of her wrapped around them like a glove. Like she was fucking  _ made _ for them. 

_ Hell, maybe she was. _

They gripped her hips hard enough to leave finger shaped bruises on either side, but June didn’t complain as they directed her movements, cock rubbing against and inside of her as she shuddered in their arms. 

“Oh fuck, fuck,  _ fuck _ ,” Her voice was ragged and pitiful, practically dripping with need. “I’m so close!” It was more of a plea than a statement, one that they were both all too happy to oblige. They leaned down to mouth wet kisses onto the side of her throat, a growl rumbling in their chest. 

**_“Oh, morsel… you want to cum, don’t you?”_ ** Their voice was soft and low, dripping over her like black honey. They could feel her twitching and spasming around them, her body eagerly seeking the release it  _ knew _ they could give her. June nodded mutely, her gaze locked on the ceiling, unseeing as they moved her up and down their throbbing cock. They sucked the delicate skin of her throat into their mouth, worrying it with Eddie’s blunt teeth.  **_“Want us to make you cum, June? We’re going to ruin you for other men, morsel. Only us, just us…”_ **

They weren’t sure if it was their words, or the steady grind of her clit against them, but June came hard, her back going rigid as her breasts pressed into their chest. Her head was thrown back, her open mouth forming silent curses as she came apart on their cock. The feel of her rhythmically clenching around them, her soaked pussy grabbing onto them as they tried to fuck her through her orgasm was too good, and they couldn’t stop the white hot pleasure racing down every nerve ending. 

Eddie didn’t remember sinking his teeth into her throat, but as he came to, his heart hammering rapidly in his chest and his vision blurry, he realized that his jaw was locked around the delicate flesh. His teeth digging in almost hard enough to break the skin. He released immediately, though it didn’t seem like June had noticed. Her cocoa skin shone with a thin sheen of sweat, and it was only their embrace that was stopping her from sliding bonelessly to the floor beneath them. His cock throbbed inside her, his cum sliding down to pool where they were joined. 

“Okay, I can call a spade a spade,” June said a little hoarsely as she leaned forward to rest her head on his shoulder. A tired laugh puffed against the skin of his throat. “You win.” 

**_“We generally do.”_ **

  
  


**_—_ **

When June woke up, she had to stomp down the initial panic of feeling another body in her bed. It only took a few seconds for the afternoon’s events to filter back in through the haze of sleep—they’d passed out in her bed just after Eddie had fucked her absolutely  _ silly _ on the couch. 

June felt her cheeks burn. 

_ I’ll have to be nicer to Jeannie about her couch cuddles. _

They’d be lucky if it didn’t still  _ reek _ of sex in there by the time Jean got home—if she wasn’t home already. Of course, with the steamy memories of her afternoon, also came the shot of bitterness she’d been waiting for. 

Of  _ course _ he was only interested in her for sex. 

_ “I can’t lie, I’ve been thinking about this ever since I walked into the studio earlier.”  _

June felt her stomach twist uncomfortably at the memory of his words. So what? Wasn’t she the one talking about how she didn’t  _ do _ relationships? Didn’t want one? So why was his casual statement making her feel so crappy? She didn’t want to get hurt, didn’t want to open herself up and invite the hurt inside—but hadn’t she done that anyway? June balled her hands into a fist under her pillow as Eddie shifted beside her, mumbling in his sleep.

And now here she was, catching feelings for a man who’d made it clear what he was looking for. 

_ Again. _

Eddie was  _ fun. _ He was attractive—hot as fuck, if she was being honest—he was smart, and engaging. He made her laugh. 

She sat up slowly, gingerly detangling herself from his octopus-like grip. How he managed to wrap himself so thoroughly around her without the use of Venom’s appendages was anyone’s guess. June padded over to the door, before shutting it softly behind herself.

“Hey roomie.” 

June released an inhuman sounding squeak at Jeannie’s voice. Her roommate was leaned up against her own door, just a few feet down the hall. She hadn’t heard Jean get back from Leslie’s place, but she’d been sleeping like a rock after Eddie had made her cum so hard she’d been partially comatose, so it wasn’t unbelievable that she could enter with June being none the wiser. 

Jeannie smiled knowingly at her, raising an eyebrow. 

“Do we have a guest?” She asked innocently, inspecting her nails. 

“Dammit Jean, you know we do,” June groused bad naturedly, running a hand through her unkempt hair. She hadn’t had the chance to take a look in a mirror yet, but she knew after Eddie’s treatment, she probably looked like an extra fuzzy q-tip. “I meant to tell you he was here, I fell asleep.” 

“More like you got fucked into a coma.” 

“Both?” June asked, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. “I thought you guys were going to be gone until the wee hours. What happened?” 

“Leslie left the strap at her house.” 

“Jean!” June’s scandalized whisper brought a smile to her roommate’s face. 

“Oh my god, relax. Kidding, kidding.” She waved her hands in the air. “I thought you might be getting lonely here at home. You know, since you refused to go out and have fun with me all week because you were pining over  _ him _ .” Jean pointed at the closed door behind June, who felt her face heat instantly. 

“I was  _ practicing. _ Not  _ pining. _ There’s a difference.” June replied stubbornly. Though she  _ had _ found herself thinking about Eddie at inopportune moments, she didn’t think that constituted pining. June headed for the bathroom, sighing when Jean about faced to follow her, planting herself onto the rim of the tub as June tried to work a wide toothed comb through her tangled curls. 

  
  


“So what’s the deal? You called him? Did he call you?” Jean was beside herself, pressing June for details. 

“He… he came to ODC actually.” June replied, reaching for the spray bottle. It was going to take water and detangler to undo the mess she and Eddie had made of her beautiful hair. She found herself smiling a little, nibbling her lip between her teeth as she thought of it. 

“He did  _ what _ ?” 

“He came and watched me practice.” Embarrassment colored her words. She didn’t want to feel giddy at the fact that he’d come to watch her, but she couldn’t help it. Jean clapped excitedly, leaning forward. 

“Ohmygod. Okay. I think he really likes you, Jay.” 

“We’re just fucking, Jeannie.” June hadn’t meant for the words to sound so harsh, or to spit them with such vitriol at her friend. They left a bitter taste in her mouth as she spoke them, swallowing thickly after. 

“And you don’t want that?” There was no judgement in Jean’s voice. 

June threw down the comb against the sink in frustration. 

“I don’t  _ know _ what I want!” She admitted, resting her forehead against the cool porcelain. “I thought I was okay just being friends that fucked around, you know?” She said softly, turning to look at Jeannie. “I really thought I was.” 

“Can I ask you something Jay? What would be  _ so wrong _ with being with someone? And I don’t want to hear the whole song and dance about you not wanting to deal with the drama, okay? I know you better than that.” 

June closed the lid to the toilet and sat down on it heavily, pressing the heels of her palms into her closed eyelids. “I don’t… I don’t want another Mike, Jean.” Her throat felt tight, and she blinked back tears. “I’d rather never have  _ anyone _ in my life again than let in another fucking Mike.” 

At the mention of his name, Jean’s lips pressed into a thin line. 

“First of all, fuck Mike. If I ever see him again, I’ll fucking skin him. Secondly….I mean I guess that’s up to you, Jay. You could get hurt. You could get  _ really, really _ fucking hurt. But no one will ever love you either, hun.” She stood from the tub to wrap her arms around June’s trembling shoulders. “And for what it’s worth, babe? I think Eddie’s about as far away from Mike as you can get.” 

June sniffled, hugging her friend back. She had to decide what was better, the devil she knew, or the one she didn’t. And the time to make that decision was rapidly approaching. As much as June  _ talked _ about wanting to stay single, wanting to play the field, she was lonely. But would loneliness be better than letting him in? 

Letting _ them _ in? 

She didn’t know. 

That was the worst part, June supposed, the not knowing. 

She wiped her tears on the back of her hand before splashing some cold water on her face. Jeannie watched her silently detangle her hair, pulling it into a high messy bun on top of her head. 

“Now come on. There’s a man in your bedroom, and I expect you to ride him into the sunset.” Jean commanded, and June snorted. 

“Thanks Jean.”

“Yeah, yeah. Go shake your ass in his face.”

“Oh my god.” 

“Yep.”

June exited the bathroom and walked down the hallway to her room. Eddie was still sleeping, his lips slightly parted as a snore escaped them. June had to stifle a laugh. 

**_“Do we amuse you, morsel?”_ ** June nearly jumped out of her skin as his jaw moved, though Eddie’s eyes remained resolutely shut. 

“V-venom?” 

He nodded. 

“Jesus, you scared me. Can you, um… come out? It’s kind of weird like this.” June said nervously, clamoring over Eddie’s sleeping body to get back to her side of the bed. Venom seeped out of Eddie’s pores like ink, enveloping him. She wasn’t sure what Jeannie would think if she walked in; the most prolific criminal and cannibal in San Francisco, sitting on her bed, the mattress squeaking under their weight. 

**_“Better?”_ ** He asked, regarding her with his large, white eyes. June nodded. It was the first time she’d  _ really _ gotten a good look at him, considering when they’d taken her to the bridge, she’d spent most of that trip screaming and cowering against Venom’s massive chest.  **_“You’re staring.”_ **

“Sorry. I guess I just never really… studied you before. I kind of spend most of my time talking to Eddie,” She admitted sheepishly. Venom nodded. 

**_“It can’t be helped when everyone thinks you are going to eat them.”_ ** He said smoothly. June laughed, though she wasn’t sure if he was joking or not. Venom  _ did _ seem capable of humor, he’d made more than enough snide remarks at Eddie’s expense in her presence. And now, well, she was more curious than terrified. 

“Are there more of you? Here on Earth, I mean.” June asked, leaning back against the headboard as she tucked her knees into her chest. It was almost comical how huge he was in comparison to her, perched on the other side of her bed, his massive arm pressing down into the mattress as he regarded her. 

**_“Possibly, though we doubt it.”_ ** He paused, his long, dripping tongue running over his overly large teeth in thought.  **_“Are there more of you?”_ **

June was taken aback. “I… well, yeah. Lots, I think. But you’ve seen how humans tend to react to anyone different from them, so it’s...challenging to find mutants who don’t really want to be found.” June had met others like her on a few different occasions, but it was like ships passing in the night. Mutual acknowledgement, perhaps a conversation, before the inevitable amicable parting of ways. “But I’m the only one in my family.” 

**_“That sounds lonely.”_ **

June felt a strange pang in her chest at his empathy. “Are you lonely, Venom?” His wide eyes narrowed a little, and after a moment, he shook his head. 

**_“No. I have Eddie. And you.”_ **

A hot flush swept up her neck and over her cheeks at his admission. She’d never really pondered the particulars of Venom’s relationship with Eddie before, and now she found herself curious. 

“Are you and Eddie… I mean are you guys like, together?” 

Venom’s face wrinkled in confusion at her question.  **_“We are always together.”_ **

June laughed. “Yeah, physically. I mean like are you his boyfriend?” 

**_“We share a deep emotional and mental bond. I care about his feelings and his needs, as he does mine. Is that a boyfriend?”_ ** Venom asked, cocking his head as he stared at her unblinkingly. That in and of itself was becoming less and less unnerving the more June was around them. She’d never really realized the...type of relationship that Eddie had with his symbiote. It wasn’t  _ that _ weird, not when you thought about it. They were connected on a cellular level. It wasn’t like Venom  _ wasn’t _ present or an active participant while Eddie was balls deep in  _ her _ , so of course he would be when the two of them were alone. 

What June  _ wasn’t _ prepared for was the answering throb from the apex of her thighs at her musings. 

“I think so, yeah.” June replied, “Those are all the general criteria.” June was glad she could finally talk to V without Eddie’s interference. He always seemed overly concerned with policing Venom’s responses, but June  _ liked _ how blunt and open he was, though that was probably more due to him being an alien than it was a personality quirk. He was...easier to talk to than she’d imagined. And he was a far cry from the monster she’d thought he was. 

For a guy that ate heads, he wasn’t half bad, considering. Which was why his next statement made her choke on air, coughing and gasping as he spoke.

**_“Then I would like to be your boyfriend as well, June.”_ **

“I—what?” June’s eyes went wide, her mouth agape, opening and closing like a fish.  _ He wants to be my  _ **_what?!_ **

Venom placed a gentle hand on her knee, his huge appendage covering it completely. 

**_“I want to be your boyfriend, June.”_ ** He repeated, his tone even. 

“V, is… can he hear me?” She asked nervously. Just because Venom was front and center right now didn’t mean that Eddie wasn’t conscious. What if he’d woken up while they were talking? It had happened before. 

Venom shook his head.  **_“He’s sleeping. We’ve been working very hard this week, he needs the rest.”_ **

“Does Eddie… feel the same way you do?” She asked, her chest tightening. This was crazy. An alien parasite wanted to be her boyfriend. 

_ I guess that’s better than Mike. _

She’d previously thought of Venom as sort of an… extension of Eddie. But now she was seeing he had his own thoughts and desires...one of which, apparently, was  _ her. _ It was strange, and not nearly as off-putting as she’d thought it would be. It was  _ his _ idea to take her to the bridge that night, as well. He’d made her feel safe, wanted. 

They  _ both _ did. 

“I’m sorry… I’m just… I guess I’m confused. Earlier Eddie said you guys only came to see me at the studio just so we could, well, you know. Fuck.” June rubbed her temples. “And now you’re telling me you want to be my boyfriend, but… does he?”

**_“I believe you may have misinterpreted Eddie, though he’s not exactly skilled at interpersonal communication, so that’s hardly your fault.”_ ** He sighed, before, squeezing her knee affectionately.  **_“Eddie is making this much more complex than it needs to be, morsel.”_ ** He scoffed.  **_“He has...hang ups, I believe.”_ **

June sighed. She could relate.

“Yeah. Me too.”

**_“What are your concerns?”_ ** He asked, settling next to her. She could feel his strange flesh against her own, and it felt like a lover’s caress wherever it touched. 

June started at the question. “I, uh. That’s kind of a big question, V.”

**_“Is it?”_ **

“Well… yeah. It’s a long story.” 

**_“We have time.”_ **

June swallowed the lump in her throat. Talking about Mike twice in one day had to be bad for her health, but it couldn’t exactly be avoided now. 

“I… I had a really shitty boyfriend a couple of years ago. It kind of… I dunno. It fucked my head up a little, V.” June leaned her head back against the wall, staring at the ceiling. “He… had another girlfriend, and I didn’t know, and it was this whole big fucking mess.”

**_“It’s unacceptable to have more than one partner?”_ ** Venom asked, and June shook her head. 

“It is when they don’t tell you upfront. Or when they lie to you about it.” She spat. “He made me feel like I was nothing. And I don’t ever want to feel like that again.” Her fists clenched. 

**_“You are not nothing, June. And we will do everything in our power to never make you feel like that again.”_ **

She smiled a little. “Thanks, V. Maybe we can, uh… revisit this conversation when all three of us are conscious?” June leaned her head onto their shoulder, finding comfort in his warmth. 

  
  


**_“Indeed.”_ **

  
  
  


_ To be continued... _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Comments? Concerns? Please let me know!


	5. Misfire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where Carnage shows up, Eddie makes a bad decision, and June struggles to communicate.

Waking up next to June was a feeling Eddie knew he could quickly grow accustomed to. She moaned a little in her sleep, shifting. The last time he’d had the pleasure of seeing her in the morning, June had woken up before him, so he hadn’t gotten a chance to observe her while she slept. 

**_“Our morsel was up very late last night.”_ ** Venom says smoothly as the back of their hand traced the smooth curve of her cheek.  **_“She is tired.”_ **

Eddie “hmmed” in agreement. He had muddy memories of a conversation, but he couldn’t quite recall what they’d talked about. If he pressed Venom, the symbiote might reveal the memories to him in perfect detail, but Eddie supposed he owed Venom a shred of privacy. The weird, jealous feeling in the pit of his stomach at having  _ not _ been a part of something didn’t make him feel any better either. 

But he would still ask, of course. 

“What did you guys talk about last night?” Eddie asked, watching as Venom flowed down to peer closely at June’s sleeping face. “I mean, you know. If it’s okay to um, to tell me.” 

Venom looks up at him.  **_“June would like a relationship with us.”_ ** There’s a beat of hesitation.  **_“I think.”_ **

Eddie sighs, laying back against the pillows. Even though he wasn’t feeling like being particularly emotionally honest that morning, he knew he couldn’t keep straddling the fence forever. June was a nice girl and she was interested in him. He hadn’t needed to keep seeing her, but he had, and he’d enjoyed it. 

Enjoyed  _ her. _

It was time to let go of what could have been with Anne. It had been months since he’d last heard from her, and from what he’d seen of her social media profile, when he’d drunkenly facebook stalked her, she was happy with Dan. 

They had a wedding date, even. 

It was funny, the thought didn’t leave him feeling quite as hollow as it used to. The thoughts that preoccupied him primarily pertained to June now, not so much Anne. 

**_We prefer June, Eddie. It’s not rocket science._ ** Venom’s irritated voice was clipped as he snapped at his host. Eddie chuckled, shrugging. 

“I guess I’m slow on the uptake, V.”

**_“Quite.”_ **

“Please tell me you don’t stare at me while I sleep, because it’s going to throw this whole thing off,” June mumbled sleepily, swatting at the two of them as she turned over. “Too early to argue.” 

“It’s not early.” Eddie teased. He knew it was probably best to keep his distance until the solidified things, just in case—but he couldn’t help it. June felt so good against him, the curves of her smaller body fit  _ so _ perfectly against theirs. He tugged her backward, pressing his chin into the hollow of her throat as he smiled against her skin. “You’re just tired because you were up chatting with my other till the ungodly hours.”

“It’s not my fault he’s interesting.” She grumbled. “And it’s early. My alarm hasn’t gone off yet, so I  _ know _ it’s before ten. Ergo: early. Now stop  _ talking. _ ” Eddie grinned. Tired June was bossy. 

He liked it. 

**_We like_ ** **_June._ ** Venom’s voice is warm and agreeable in his skull. He knew it was true. June could be... _ everything _ , and if he didn’t act soon, he’d be alone again. The thought of drinking alone every single night as he researched seemed far less enticing now than it had a few weeks ago. 

_ Fuck, I hate it when you’re right, V.  _

“Got it. Silence.” 

He settled in behind her, sliding his knee between her thighs. Eddie could feel the heat of her through the thin sleeping shorts she wore, pressed against his bare thigh. That, it seemed, was all it took to send his thoughts straight from serious to dirty. 

Eddie  _ wanted  _ to think harder on how exactly to clarify his relationship with June—hopefully locking in their exclusivity. The thought of her with someone like fucking… _ Greg? Gary?  _ Made his blood boil.

**_Garret._ **

But currently he could only seem to focus on the smooth curve of her ass pressed intimately against a quickly wakening part of their anatomy. It was rather hard to consider anything else when it felt so  _ good _ to sleepily grind against June, especially with Venom practically purring in agreement. 

She moaned sleepily, but he couldn’t tell whether it was in assent or irritation. Her hair had come out of the scarf she’d dutifully tied it down with the night before, and Eddie buried his face in it—inhaling the warm vanilla scent with enjoyment. June made an irritated grunt, but didn’t complain further when he wound one of her long, spirally curls around his finger. 

Venom was practically vibrating, moving excitedly under Eddie’s skin as his fingers ghosted over her soft skin. They’d heard Jeannie leave earlier—though how June had managed to sleep through that racket was beyond them—they were alone in the apartment. 

June gave another sleepy moan as Eddie played with a few strands of her hair, drawing idle patterns on the exposed skin of her hip. Was this what he’d been afraid of? This… intimacy? 

**_We are not being intimate with June, Eddie._ **

_ Intimacy has more than one meaning, V.  _

Eddie wasn’t sure why spooning June felt more real and raw than fucking her into the couch cushions, but it did. He wrapped a soft curl around his finger, tugging it just a little before letting it go. 

“You’re terrible at letting me sleep,” June said hoarsely, her nose wrinkling cutely with irritation. She cracked one eye, and glared at him over her shoulder. 

**_“We think you’ve slept long enough.”_ ** Venom replied petulantly, and though she didn’t laugh, Eddie saw her lips twist as she fought to hold it in.  **_“We are hungry.”_ **

At Venom’s words, Eddie felt his stomach constrict. It  _ would _ be nice to stay in bed all day, but he doubted June’s schedule would allow for such indulgence—and neither would Venom. 

June rolled over onto her back, stretching. Eddie followed the movement hungrily, greedily taking in every inch of exposed skin, admiring the smooth planes of her body. She ran a hand through her hair as she looked around irritatedly for the scarf that had come off, finding it under her pillow. 

“Son of a bitch,” she spat, throwing it onto. the floow. “I don’t even know why I bother.” It was funny, June was so bubbly and outgoing, he’d just assumed she’d be a morning person—but it  _ was _ kind of cute to see her grumpy and annoyed, just by virtue of being awake. She grumbled a few more curses before throwing herself back onto the pillows, sighing. 

“Well good morning,” Eddie replied, unable to keep in a hearty chuckle when she pouted at him, crossing her arms with a huff. Eddie reached forward to grasp her arm, and tugged her backward, sending June tumbling into his lap. She squeaked with surprise as his arms closed around her, his chin coming to rest on top of her messy hair. 

“Good morning, enemies of rest,” June snapped, her voice muffled by the pillows.“I see you guys slept well.” 

**_“She’s dramatic when she’s cranky,”_ ** Venom observed, snickering when June glared at them over her shoulder, her full lips pressed into a line. She went to bury herself in the sheets again, but Eddie caught her, pinning her wrists to the bed on either side of her head.

“Uh-uh. No hiding.” He had a list of tasks he wanted to accomplish that day, among which were getting breakfast, and seeing if June would allow them to bury their head anywhere they liked on her soft little body—and not necessarily in that order. “Don’t you want breakfast? We’re hungry.” His voice took on a hard, demanding edge—one that Anne had  _ never _ liked when he used it in the bedroom. Eddie hadn’t meant for the words to come out  _ like that _ , but it was too late to draw them back into their throat now. 

Venom shuddered under his skin as her scent spiked, the embers of sleepy morning arousal burning brighter at their unintentional order. Venom seemed to have forgotten all about food, and was all too happy to focus their awareness on June, who for her part was focusing intently on the wall behind their head as her skin went hot under their fingers. 

“I could eat,” She squeaked, peeking up at him through her lashes. 

**_“We’re sure you could.”_ ** Venom interjected smoothly, and Eddie groaned inwardly. On one hand, he  _ was _ starved enough to consume an entire buffet’s worth of food by himself. On the other hand, those little shorts looked particularly flimsy, and it would only require an  _ ounce _ of their strength to rip them clean off of her and bury his face between her thighs. 

**_Both good options._ **

“What dirty ass thing are you thinking about at this ungodly hour?” June asked suspiciously, blowing an errant hair out of her face as she leered up at him. “Because I can assure you, waffles are a more attractive prospect.” 

“Oh yeah?” Eddie questioned, lowering himself onto her, pressing her into the mattress. He slid slowly down her prone form, releasing her hands as he went. He stopped when he was positioned just above the soft mound of her vulva, and pressed a soft kiss to it through her shorts. “I think I can be pretty persuasive.” Eddie punctuated the statement with a slow lick to the damp seam of her pants, which slid wetly against her. 

“I’m listening,” June’s voice was breathy as she watched their fingers elongate into wicked claws, which he used to tear through the fabric of her clothes like paper. She didn’t complain. And when he buried his face in June’s soft, wet folds, she was even wetter than before. A surprised sounding moan erupted from her throat as Eddie shoved her thighs further open with one large hand.

“Oh  _ God _ .”

_ Why don’t we do this more often? We should do this more often.  _

**_Every day. We should do this every day._ **

He rolled her clit against the roof of his mouth, before peppering it with soft, slow licks as he slid a single finger into her pussy. June hissed, her hips bucking. “Oh  _ fuck _ , Eddie!” Her voice was ragged and loud, and Eddie wondered if Jean was home—not that he cared. 

He liked making June scream. 

_ So wet. _

He gave her one particularly hard suck with his tongue, and suddenly June was convulsing, curses pouring out of her pretty mouth as she coated his face with her juices. “Oh shit—fuck— _ Eddie… _ ” He wasn’t sure if if was him in control or Venom, but they were on autopilot, roughly moving her thighs apart so that he could fit his hips between them, easily pulling his cock out of his boxers. 

Venom was egging him on inside their skull, reminding him how soft June was inside—how tight and absolutely perfect she was going to feel wrapped around them. He rubbed the tip of his cock against her throbbing, soaked folds, and groaned audibly. 

_ “Christ _ , June.” She was still twitching from the force of her orgasm, and as he pushed  _ just _ inside he shivered with pleasure. So good.  _ So fucking good. _ She whimpered beneath him, shifting her hips toward them wantonly. 

“Eddie!” Her tone was pleading, insistent. He obliged instantly, pressing in as far as he could go and relishing in the sweet keening noise that escaped June’s throat as he filled her. Her head fell back against the pillows, her eyes rolling back as she tried to meet his thrusts. “God I hope Jeannie left already,” she panted breathlessly.

Eddie gripped the headboard in one large, sweaty hand, using it for leverage as he sank into June over and over. He didn’t feel it when the cheap metal bent easily, contorting in his grip with a groan. Everything in him was focused intently on this singular act; the feel of June’s slick, tightness encasing them, the shuddering little moans she let out whenever he bottomed out. June’s hands traveled up the planes of his chest, her nails leaving little red crescents where her fingers had dug in for purchase. 

Likewise, Eddie tugged June’s loose T-shirt up, exposing the soft flesh of her breasts to his hungry gaze. He rolled her nipples between his rough fingers, tugging on them insistently, and enjoying the sharp, surprised cry she let out in response. Her pussy clamped down around them, and Eddie hissed, throwing his head back as he repeated the motion. 

**_More._ **

Venom’s demand had Eddie’s hand skirting upwards, towards June’s soft throat. The bruise he’d left there the night before was huge and purple, spreading from the base of her throat almost all the way up to her chin. At the sight of it, Eddie groaned, tracing it with the pad of his thumb. It had been a mistake—he’d never meant to mark her like that—but  _ fuck _ it made him throb just seeing it.  **_We should leave more._ ** He traced her parted lips with the pad of his thumb, and when June darted her tongue out to meet the appendage, he cursed audibly. 

_ “God fucking dammit, June—” _ Eddie leaned down to press his face into the side of her throat as he came, his hand locked tightly around June’s hip, holding her in place as he emptied himself into her. It took all of his willpower  _ not _ to let Venom bury their teeth in her soft skin again, but the symbiote contented himself with running his tongue down the abused flesh, soothing it.

After a few minutes of sated silence, June spoke, her voice raspy. “I hope that wasn’t breakfast, Eddie, because that was not a suitable substitute for pancakes.”

  
  


——

When Eddie finally allowed her out of bed, June’s alarm had long since gone off. It was close to midday, and Jeannie, luckily, was nowhere to be seen when she poked her head out of her bedroom. She hadn’t gotten any snarky text messages either, meaning that either she  _ hadn’t _ been loud enough to wake a hibernating bear, or that Jean had taken pity on her and decided to help preserve her dignity. 

_ Not sure how much of that I have left, anyway.  _ The thought made her cheeks heat, and she hurriedly closed the bathroom door behind her. If they didn’t both desperately need to eat, she had a feeling he might have kept her there all day. The water was hot, another sign that Jeannie had left long before—if there was one thing she knew how to do it was use all the hot water. June stepped underneath the spray gratefully, wincing when it touched the tender spot Eddie— _ and Venom— _ had left on her throat. 

She wanted to be angry at the big, ugly bruise they’d left, but the sight of it in the foggy mirror made her feel… safe. Wanted. June was brushing her hair when a knock sounded at the door. Eddie’s muffled voice followed after. 

“I hate to rush you, but it’s either here or your sink.” 

June fought back a laugh, and wrapped her towel around herself— _ what am I even hiding? He’s seen all of me. _ The thought brought another rush of heat to her face as she opened the door, avoiding his gaze. 

“Sorry. Here.” She stepped out of the way, and was surprised when Eddie dropped an affectionate kiss to her forehead as he passed. Her stomach twisted with butterflies and nervous energy. They still hadn’t really talked yet, and she wasn’t counting her impromptu conversation with Venom the night before. 

June was pulling up a loose skater skirt when Eddie found his way back into the bedroom, his eyes raking hungrily over her form as if he hadn’t had her just an hour before—and more than once, at that. Though June was still sore—after all, it wasn’t like Eddie  _ ever _ held back, not that she wanted him to—her cunt still clenched in want and anticipation as he passed his hand over the curve of her ass appreciatively. 

**_“I like your skirt.”_ **

June snorted. “I can see that.” She grabbed a shirt from the closet and held it up in front of the mirror, frowning critically before nodding. It was a cropped sweater, with most of the chest cut away to show the tank top she wore underneath. “You have a good shower?” 

“Oh yeah. There was still some hot water left, so it worked out.” He joked, and June laughed. 

“Sorry. I always get mad at Jean for that, but I guess either you die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain,” She replied dramatically. Eddie grinned at her as he stripped his towel off, dropping it as he turned to grab his discarded clothing. June’s cheeks got hot and she about faced rapidly. 

“You said you wanted waffles, right?” Eddie asked, and when she turned back, he’d at least donned his jeans. Venom seemed to give him weird super senses, and Eddie always seemed to just…  _ know _ when she wanted him. Sometimes before  _ she _ did—and June didn’t want breakfast to get delayed by another wild romp in her bed. 

“The superior breakfast choice,” June agreed. “If you didn’t have a place in mind, I’ve got a couple of spots I like. If you don’t mind,” She added quickly. “There’s this great diner on Dorset that Jeannie and I go to all the time. Best Belgian waffles outside of Belgium, probably.”

Eddie agreed without fuss, and June made her way to the kitchen for some water. It was… weird, how easy it would be to fall into this routine with him. Easy to imagine things being more than just…  _ this. _ The nervous, fluttery feeling from the day before returned to her gut full force, and June wondered if Venom had deigned to share the details of their conversation last night with Eddie.

_ What if he already knows? They do share a brain, kind of. Right? _

June grabbed a glass from the cabinet, before turning to the fridge. As she reached to open it, she caught sight of a note pinned underneath one of the magnets. 

_ Jay—went to work. Finished the milk in the fridge, will get more. Don’t be mad! _

_ -Jeannie _

June laughed. Of course Jean hadn’t left herself time to replace the milk—but June wasn’t going to sweat it. Not when she had practically nothing to do all day, and Eddie ready to spend the morning with her. In spite of herself, the thought brought a small smile to her lips. 

“You ready?” Eddie was leaning against the breakfast bar, his jacket slung over one shoulder as he grinned at her. “We’re starved.” Eddie hadn’t brought his bike, but it was only about a fifteen minute walk from the apartment anyway. It was still nice out, summer only just coming to an end as August turned into September. She’d been so busy lately, classes, tutoring, practice—it was nice to just… walk. 

The diner wasn’t too busy when they got there, and though Jeannie wasn’t with her, the servers recognized June anyway, waving. They settled into a booth at the back, and waited for drinks. 

“Jesus, it’s hot.” Eddie complained, rolling up his sleeves some. June rolled her eyes. 

“I mean. You could wear shorts.” 

Eddie furrowed his brow at her, offended. “I look weird in shorts.” 

**_“His legs are skinny.”_ ** Venom agreed, and June burst out laughing. The server came back for their orders, delivering the sweet teas June had requested upon entry. June could feel the cool touch of the symbiote on her calf, underneath the table, and while it sent little shivers of remembrance up her spine, he remained casual—which June was grateful for. She wasn’t sure if she could take the two of them attempting to have her in public. 

_ If you could deny them, you mean. _

Even her own inner monologue was against her. 

They chatted lightly over breakfast, Eddie demolishing three helpings of extra rare steak and eggs, all while June worked on her waffles. 

“You gonna tell me about this story you’re working on, or do I really have to wait and read it like all the other plebs?” June wheedled, licking some syrup off of her finger. Eddie’s eyes followed the motion eagerly, and he cleared his throat before shaking his head. June assumed the motion would be followed by another explanation— _ rules are rules— _ but instead, Venom poked his head out from underneath the table. 

**_“Eddie is working on an article about an escaped convict.”_ ** He replied smoothly, grinning up at her as Eddie cursed, looking around the diner suspiciously. 

“Goddammit, V! You’re not supposed to just blab it to everybody,” He whispered harshly. June giggled, and he rounded on her. “Don’t encourage him!” 

June held her hands up placatingly, unable to wipe the smug smile from her face. “I’m not, I’m not!”

**_“It’s only June, Eddie.”_ **

**** Eddie sighed. “Well, now you know. So if you could play that close to the chest for another couple of days while I finish my piece, that would be pretty choice.” He leveled another glare at the symbiote, who looked impossibly pleased with himself, running his tongue along his teeth. 

“Of course. Wait, is this that Kasady guy that got out of the transport van?” She asked, eyes wide. June knew next to nothing about the guy, aside from the fact that he’d been in max security, and was now on the loose. The news hadn’t been particularly giving with information. 

He nodded. “Yeah. I interviewed him about six months ago. Didn’t get much out of him besides the standard.” Eddie washed down the remains of his steak with a swallow of sweet tea. “I’m trying to get my piece on the Sunday run of the paper, before anyone else scoops me.” 

June nodded solemnly, and raised her index finger to draw an “x” over her heart. “I’ll keep it to myself. Promise.” Eddie chuckled a little at her antics. “Even though I think Venom should be the one you’re wringing deals out of,” She snorted. 

When they were finished, Eddie insisted on paying, ignoring June trying to snatch the check from his hands. She was expecting him to bail after that—after all, who spent two days with their fuck buddy?—but he didn’t. 

“Want to take a walk or something?” Eddie asked, rubbing the back of his neck. “I think it would be a shame to go spend the rest of the day inside.” 

June blushed. “Okay.” 

It was Friday, and with the start of the weekend, it meant a whole host of open air markets would be popping up across the city until Sunday morning. There were a couple near June’s apartment—an excellent time sink. June didn’t have a whole heap of spare cash at the moment, but she enjoyed window shopping just as much as anyone else. They’d only been browsing a few stalls when she realized—he was holding her hand. 

How long had he been holding her hand?

_ This is… nice. _

There was a strange and natural ease between them, one June couldn’t quite figure out. Out of the corner of her eye, a glint of gold made June stop. They were passing by one of the many stalls with trinkets and jewelry, though these looked to be better made than some of the last few they’d seen. Eddie moved on to a food stall as June browsed.  _ Does his stomach have no bottom?! _

There was a butterfly pendant, made of delicate, wiry gold. Each of its wings were carefully patterned, and looked so fragile, June was almost afraid to touch it. 

“You like that?” The shopkeep asked, and June jumped back, startled. An older woman with graying hair and gnarled fingers sat behind the table. “That’s real gold, you know. An antique.” 

June was doubtful that it was that much of a treasure, but it  _ was _ beautiful. “It’s very pretty,” She agreed, letting the thin gold chain slip through her fingers as she replaced the necklace on its stand. “How much?” 

“Seventy. Sixty for you,” She said slyly, and June shook her head. 

“No thank you.” Before the old woman could try again, she felt a sturdy arm slip around her waist.

“See something you like?” Eddie asked, his breath tickling her ear. 

“Nah, let’s keep going.” When they’d visited every stall in the market, Eddie insisted on walking her back to her apartment. It made June blush—since when was he so...gentlemanly? Holding her hand, kissing her head… This was muddying the waters. Waters that were  _ already  _ murky and hard to navigate. 

“Let’s do this again soon. What are you up to this weekend?” He asked, squeezing her hand gently. “Saturday?” 

“I have class until 2, and then I’m free.” June replied, unable to stop the answering smile from spreading across her features. 

“See you then.” He hugged her tightly, and pressed another affectionate kiss into her hair. As June was about to let go, he slipped something into her hand, folding it into a fist around the foreign object before sprinting for the stairs. June watched him go, shaking her head. 

She unlocked her door with the other hand, before opening her fingers to stare in shock at what he’d given her—

The butterfly necklace she’d been looking at was sitting in the palm of her hand, the delicate gold chain spilling over to dangle from her spread fingers. 

——

Eddie didn’t bother trying to take the bus or a streetcar back to their apartment—it was late afternoon now, and if he kept to the shadows, no one would see them swinging between buildings. 

**_I don’t want to leave June, Eddie._ **

Venom had been particularly vocal about staying—perhaps even spending another night, but Eddie had had to be firm. June needed her space and her privacy, and having a nine foot alien hanging off of her every word was bound to become offputting sooner or later. 

**_We are eight feet in height._ ** Venom snapped indignantly, his annoyance ringing clearly in Eddie’s own skull. 

_ Yeah, yeah.  _

He was loathe to admit it, but Eddie had wanted to stay, too. He felt comfortable with June, at ease. Even Venom could agree on that much. Still, Eddie felt almost  _ giddy _ landing on the balcony, and it didn’t lessen when he grabbed a cool beer from the fridge, or when he sat down at his desk, cracking his knuckles. 

Eddie had done all of the ancillary research for the article—now what was left was to actually... _ write _ it. He started with Kasady’s childhood, his issues with rage and violence, before filtering into his teenage and early adult years, careful to not be  _ too _ liberal with all of the gory details. 

_ I don’t want anyone else imagining those crime scene photos. _ Eddie shuddered. Even with Venom’s assistance, the gruesome pictures of Kasady’s previous crimes were almost enough to turn his stomach. Eddie grimaced, thinking back on their interview. Like most other killers of his caliber, he was polite. Cordial—proud, even, of what he’d done. 

_ “I freed them.” _

Eddie hoped he wouldn’t be “freeing” anyone else any time soon. 

By the time he sat back up from his desk, it was evening, the sun beginning to sink below the skyline. He’d long since finished his beer, and after sending the preliminary draft to Harrison, he retrieved a second. Venom didn’t complain about it, which meant he was either sufficiently distracted, or didn’t care.  _ The former, probably. _

His phone buzzed and Eddie fished it out of his pocket, taking a long swig before unlocking it. The beer slipped from his fingers as his eyes widened, and if not for Venom’s lightning reflexes, it would have shattered at the floor near his feet. 

_ Anne: Can we talk? _

His heartbeat quickened, and Eddie blinked a few times, just to be sure he wasn’t seeing things. Venom growled uneasily in his skull. 

**_“You should ignore it, Eddie.”_ ** The symbiote’s voice was laced with caution. How could he, though? Unbidden, memories began filtering back in. Memories of  _ before _ , when they were happy, when things were good. 

Before Venom. 

Eddie’s fingers moved without his express permission, trembling as he texted back his response. 

_ Eddie: When? _

—

**_“We are cheating, Eddie.”_ ** Venom’s voice was quiet in his ear, and it took everything Eddie had not to shove the symbiote down below his collar. This was a nice restaurant, the last thing he needed was to get thrown out in case some waiter thought he was smuggling in something he shouldn’t. 

_ We’re not cheating. _

He didn’t have anything concrete with June—and all Anne wanted was to talk. It wasn’t illegal to talk to someone, even  _ if _ that someone was his ex-fiancee. Eddie twisted the tablecloth with anxious fingers. 

**_“Eddie this will hurt June.”_ ** Venom’s frustration with him was strange and unusual—they usually agreed about most things, but clearly this was something he didn’t understand. Venom knew Anne mostly through memories; he hadn’t been attached to her long enough to fully map and remember her brain. Venom didn’t know Annie like he did. 

**_Annie, now?_ **

_ Goddammit V. _

They couldn’t continue their disagreement, because Anne approached the table, waving. “Oh shit.” She set her bag down on the table, before leaning forward to give him an affectionate hug. It was familiar, the feel of her in his arms, but still strangely alien. He’d honestly never expected to feel it again, and for a moment, Eddie was overwhelmed with nostalgia.

“Hey, Eddie!” She said, sliding into the booth across from him. “Long time no see.” Anne’s hair had grown out a little, and he glanced down at her left hand quickly, imperceptibly. The skin was indented where Dan’s ring had sat, but it was noticeably bare. Eddie couldn’t help the rush of warm nostalgia at the sight of her. How many times had they met after work just like this? 

“You’re telling me.” He rubbed his neck nervously. “You look good.” 

She glowed at his compliment. “Aw, thanks Eddie. You’re always so sweet to me.” She settled into the booth, smiling widely at him in greeting. 

**_Eddie._ **

_ Not now, V.  _ The waitress came by and dropped off waters, before promising to come back in a few minutes. “So… You wanted to talk?” 

She sighed, looking down at her folded hands before peeking up at him through her lashes—the way she always did when she was looking to cow him. “Yeah. I mean, I just wanted to check in with you, you know? We don’t talk anymore.” Anne reached across the table to place her hand on his. “I hate that we don’t talk anymore.” 

Her hand was warm on his. 

“We’ve—I’ve been busy.” He said, correcting himself.  **_Oh, just you now, is it, Eddie?_ **

“Well...I just...I miss you, Eddie.” Anne said softly, sweeping a lock of hair behind her ear.  **_So she’s been reading your articles._ ** Venom snorted, completely unphased.  **_So does June._ ** “I want us to be close again. We can still be close, can’t we?” Her smile was almost innocent, and Eddie got the feeling that Dan’s ring had been hastily removed just before she entered the restaurant. 

“How does Dan feel about that?” He asked, A small smile on his own lips. It didn’t reach his eyes. 

“Dan lets me have friends, Eddie.” She quipped. “And besides...” She looked down at her cup again. “We’re on a break right now.”

“A… break?”  _ No fucking way. _

“He’s in Indonesia doing some work and we both agreed it might be best to wait until he gets back to…” She sniffled piteously, “you know, resume things.”  **_She is playing you, Eddie._ ** He could tell Venom was suspicious of her motives. 

_ Shut up, V! _ Venom didn’t know what he was talking about—he didn’t have the same sensibilities regarding relationships that most humans did. He didn’t understand the complexities. He didn’t understand the lingering, pining feelings trapped in Eddie’s chest at the thought of Anne. 

**_I understand you’re getting… what do they say, Eddie? Played for a sap?_ ** The sarcasm was  _ almost _ hidden in Venom’s voice, and for the first time since the Life Foundation, Eddie momentarily wished he was alone in his skull. Venom was busily sulking, and Eddie could just  _ see _ him casting withering glares his way in his mind’s eye. Venom was partial to June, that much was clear.  **_And you’re still hung up on your ex._ **

“So what, you’re… you’re single or something?” He asked dumbly, wishing for once that Anne would be straight with him. Perhaps it was crossover from her profession, but Anne excelled at giving half-answers and dancing around the subject. 

“Eddie, I  _ miss _ you.” It wasn’t an answer to the question he’d asked, but it still made his stomach clench. He’d been waiting to hear that from her for a year. And while it left a warm feeling in the pit of his clenching guts, it still felt strangely hollow. The joy he felt at her admission was brief, fleeting, leaving Eddie more confused than ever. “Damn it, Eddie, I miss  _ us. _ ” 

Perhaps this didn’t feel right just because of Venom’s resistance to Anne. 

**_She wants us separated._ **

_ We can change her mind.  _

**_June never wanted to change us, Eddie._ **

“I miss us too.” His admission was quiet, but the triumphant smile that quirked the corners of Anne’s mouth told him she’d heard it anyway. 

All throughout dinner, underneath the nostalgia and smiles, Eddie couldn’t help but feel like he was making a mistake. He swallowed the feeling, though, burying it deep underneath the pleasure of basking in Anne’s attentions once again. She was as affectionate as she’d ever been, stroking the back of his hand with her soft fingers; all playful smiles and coy innuendos. Venom was petulantly silent, stewing as he practically paced in Eddie’s skull. And when they left, she planted a surprising kiss on his lips. 

The distinct feeling of  _ wrongness _ Eddie had been burying all night suddenly burst to the forefront of his consciousness as Anne’s lips met his, soft and familiar—but also distinctly  _ different _ than what he’d grown to expect. He wasn’t sure if it was Venom taking advantage of his momentary lapse of control, or if it was his own surprise, but he grasped her shoulder, holding Anne at arm’s length so that she could come no closer. It surprised her too, and a pout found its way onto her pretty face. 

“Sorry. Surprised…” Anne relaxed, squeezing his hand affectionately as she planted a second kiss on his cheek. 

“Text me, okay?” 

“Of course!” She didn’t ask for a ride home—and he doubted she would have done so if not pressed, Anne never liked the bike. She’d put up with it for him—if “putting up with it” included copious amounts of complaining about its safety. 

**_Eddie you’re an idiot._ **

_ Fuck off. _

The ride home did nothing to improve their respective moods, sniping back and forth at one another until they were both so angry that neither of them were speaking. Eddie had never felt this turbulent rage and frustration before, let alone from two sources. He practically threw his bag onto the counter as he entered his apartment, kicking his shoes off roughly. 

“So you’re just not going to talk to me?” He snapped, yanking the fridge open to remove a beer. He was met with more silence, and the distinct feeling of smugness. Eddie growled in frustration and knocked back half of the beer in a single swallow. He threw himself onto the couch and grabbed the remote, intending to channel surf until he fell asleep.

When he turned the television on, it was the news. It made sense—being that it was the last thing Eddie had watched. 

“—unable to get concrete answers from any of the officers on the scene.” The anchor, an older woman with carefully coifed blonde hair was waving the microphone toward the officers busily moving around what looked to be a relatively recent crime scene. The cameraman panned out, and Eddie could see that it looked like the side of a building—what neighborhood, he wasn’t sure. There were three outlines on the stained sidewalk, where it was clear bodies had lain until shortly before. Bright blood was spattered on the gray stone, forming a message.

_ COME OUT TO PLAY VENOM _ .

**_“Is that for us?”_ ** Previous silent treatment apparently forgotten, Venom’s voice shocked Eddie out of his slack-jawed state. 

“I don’t know, V.” 

Eddie was only barely listening to the news anchor’s explanations—he could barely hear them over the pounding of his heart. The camera moved again, and there was a second message, painted across from the first. 

_ I MISS YOU DAD _

_ COME AND PLAY _

Who the  _ fuck _ was looking for them?

——

It didn’t take June too long to figure out that something was up with Eddie. It had only been a couple of days since she’d heard from him last, but… with everything she’d talked about with Venom, and the distinctly  _ interested _ vibe Eddie had been putting out, she’d expected to hear more from him than vaguely uninterested one word replies. 

_ I knew this would happen. _

The Monday after their impromptu overnight, June texted him.

_ J: Hey, Jeannie’s making lasagna. She thought you might want to come eat a good meal for once, lol _

When he’d finally responded—the next night—it had only been a laughing emoji and an excuse. 

_ E: 😅 sorry, I can’t.  _

_ J: No worries 😌  _

By Wednesday, June had gotten the message loud and clear—Eddie had grown bored of her. The butterfly pendant hanging on her jewelry tree on her dresser suddenly seemed mocking, instead of sweet. She glared at it from her bed, wishing that she had the power to inspire spontaneous combustion instead. Jeannie knocked on her door, but June only groaned in response, rolling over to face the wall. 

“I’m coming in.”

“I can see that,” June muttered. “Something you need?” 

“Yeah, you. You’re coming out with me and Leslie tonight.” Jeannie chirped. “I’m not going to watch you down in the dumps over Eddie for the fifth night in a row.” 

“I don’t want to go anywhere or do anything,” June snapped, glaring at her friend over her shoulder. Jeannie simply blinked at her, unfazed. “I just want to lay here and sulk until next week. Maybe the week after.” June felt the bed dip behind her as Jeannie scooted in next to her. 

“It’s Friday, if you haven’t noticed, Jay. Next week is practically here already. And move over, your ass is taking up all the bed.” 

“It’s  _ my _ bed.” 

“Move.” 

June groaned again, and scooted towards the wall as Jean let out a pleased sigh. “Much better.” June wanted to curl in on herself. She hadn’t felt this stupid since she’d caught Mike in bed with his “roommate”—who’d turned out to be his live-in girlfriend. It felt like she was being punished for opening up.  _ Serves me right, inviting him in. _

“Don’t do that.” Jean snapped, flicking the back of June’s head hard with her index finger. 

“Ouch! Hey, fuck off!” June said shrilly, turning to glare at her friend accusingly. Jean shrugged. 

“You were sitting there thinking that this is all your fault, and you deserve it somehow.” June opened her mouth to argue, but Jean rolled her eyes. “Don’t even deny it. It’s not your fault. You didn’t do anything to deserve this, and you didn’t do anything to make it happen either. Dudes are pigs, Jay.” 

_ This one is an alien, but I don’t necessarily disagree with your summation. _ June usually blamed herself for things first, even if they weren’t her fault. It was a nasty habit she’d picked up during childhood, and never quite been able to rid herself of. Jeannie honed in on it, refusing to let her. 

“I just feel so stupid.” June muttered, burying her face in the pillows. “I really let myself think that—” As she began to slip back into self-deprecation, Jean landed a hard smack on her arm. “Fuck! Jean, goddammit!”

“What?”

“I thought he  _ liked _ me. Was  _ into  _ me.” June’s sarcastic chuckle was muffled by the pillow. “I feel so dumb, Jean.” 

“You’re not dumb.” 

“I thought a _celebrity_ _writer_ was going to be interested in _me_. If you look up dumb in the dictionary, there’s a picture of me there, I guarantee it.” 

“Jay. I know… I know you’re not going to  _ like _ this, but have you actually… talked to him? About you know, your feelings? I know feelings are gross and icky, but if you don’t talk about them, he’ll never know.” 

A tendril of shame worked its way into June’s gut. It was true—she’d never really told Eddie how she was feeling. What she wanted from him. Was it really his fault if she never told him she wanted exclusivity? 

“I don’t see the point,” June countered. “He’s barely responding to my texts anyway.” Jean stroked her head comfortingly. 

“Look. Why don’t you come out with us? We’re just going to go get sushi. You love sushi.” 

“I’m not five, you don’t have to bribe me.” 

“June, you’re sitting in your room crying because the guy you like isn’t texting you back. You’re right, you’re not five. You’re fifteen.” June scowled. Jeannie’s summation of the situation was lacking in nuance and depth, but its technical accuracy made June’s skin prickle with irritation. Sure, Eddie wasn’t texting her back. But it was the distinct feeling that she was being avoided that hurt the most. 

“I’m  _ not _ crying.” 

“Fine, sulking then. Come on, Les will be here in like twenty minutes. We’re going to eat raw fish and then go dance till we puke. It’ll be fuuuuuun.” Jean wheedled, poking June’s arms and belly until she relented. 

“Oh  _ fine. _ I’ll come. I’ll be miserable all night, but I’ll go.” 

“Good, was that so hard?” Jeannie chirped, before hopping up off of the bed. “If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll get some action at the bar and forget all about Eddie.” June felt her cheeks color.  _ Not likely. _

“Yes,” June shouted indignantly at Jean’s retreating back. It had been a long week of practicing and tutoring, with little  _ actual _ enjoyment. Eddie’s article had dropped that morning, but June hadn’t read it yet. She’d intended to, of course, but when he’d half ghosted her, the idea of it had become almost daunting, and June had responded by avoiding it all together. With some effort, June rolled out of bed, and shuffled over to her closet, still brooding. 

When Leslie arrived, June was in the shower. Nothing, not even the walls it seemed, would stop Leslie’s voice from carrying all the way to the back of the apartment. June emerged into the living room, wearing a black strapless romper she wasn’t sure belonged to her or Jeannie. The fabric was soft and slinky, clinging to her every curve. Her hair was piled in a curly bun on top of her head, with just a few tendrils out, framing her face. 

“Juuuune!” Leslie squealed, leaping forward to hug her. Leslie was even shorter than June, her head barely coming up to Jeannie’s armpit, with high cheekbones and sandy brown skin. Her long, pin straight hair was pulled back in a complicated braid, which was swept over one bare shoulder. Leslie wrapped her arms around June’s waist, squeezing so tight she swore something cracked. “Ohmygod I haven’t seen you in… I literally can’t remember the last time I saw you.” She chastised, frowning as she shook her finger at June disapprovingly. 

“I’ve been busy, Leslie. Good to see you too,” June wheezed, rubbing her sides. “God I think you broke my spine.” 

“You’re going to come, right? I found this sushi place in Central Market I want to try.” A little bolt of nervousness ran down June’s spine.  _ It’s not the same place. There’s a thousand sushi restaurants in San Francisco.  _

“Oh yeah. Jeannie told me. She’s trying to get me laid tonight, apparently.” Leslie grinned wickedly, and June realized that she was not only aware of Jean’s unsavory machinations, but that she was directly part of them. June scowled. “Oh for fuck’s sake. Not you too.” Leslie shrugged, and batted her eyelashes at June innocently. 

“Me? I’m innocent.  _ Como una bebe.” _

“Like a baby?” June snapped, rolling her eyes. “Yeah, as innocent as  _ el Diablo.” _ Leslie erupted with laughter. 

“I’ll call the uber.” 

Twenty  _ more _ minutes later found June outside the exact restaurant she and Eddie had gone to just weeks before. She swallowed thickly.  _ It’s his favorite. _ It wasn’t like Leslie had known—after all, how could she? And though Jeannie  _ did _ , June doubted that knowledge had stayed in her friend’s brain for more than the two minutes it took to have the conversation.  Jean saw her hesitation, and looked at June questioningly. “Not hungry, Jay? There’s no wait or anything.” 

June shook her head. “It’s nothing.”  _ It’s not like he’ll be here, right? There are other places to eat in the city. _ It was crowded inside, but not overly so, and the three of them got a table easily. June was prepared to be the third wheel—a last minute, unnecessary addition to Jean and Leslie’s romantic Friday night out. And what was more, she was actually...okay with it. It was nice to be among friends, but  _ not _ have the attention be on her. Which of course, left her copious amounts of room for brooding thoughts. 

_ I bet he does this to all the girls. _ She thought bitterly, draining her sake cup before motioning to Leslie for a refill. Leslie giggled, raising her eyebrows. 

“Oh, we’re having  _ that _ kind of night. I wanna get lit too!” She mirrored June, and refilled her own cup as Jeanne shook her head. 

“I’m not watching  _ two _ drunk idiots tonight,” She sniffed, popping a piece of sushi into her mouth disdainfully. June laughed. 

“I don’t require you to watch me—I’m perfectly capable of making my own bad decisions.”  _ What’s more than capable? Adept? _ Leslie looked wounded at Jean’s words, and slapped an appalled hand to her chest, clutching her non-existent pearls. 

“I’m not an idiot. But I  _ will _ be drunk.”

“Likewise,” June muttered, before scooting her chair away from the table. “Bathroom,” She said, and the other two nodded. June was sure they would appreciate a moment or two without her sulky presence anyway, and began making her way towards the restroom. She remembered where it was from last time, though this evening there was a bit of a line. There was a blonde in front of june, her straight hair loose about her exposed shoulders. Her well fitted, off shoulder blouse was tucked into her jeans, and she didn’t seem to notice June standing behind her as she chatted on her phone. 

“No,” she laughed, glancing toward the bar behind them before turning back around. “Dan, you know how I feel about this whole thing. I haven’t… no I haven’t seen it, but I’m sure it’s still attached to him.” The door opened in front of her, and she didn’t seem to notice that either, continuing to talk on the phone. June tapped her shoulder and she turned, her expression irritated. “Go ahead.” 

June rolled her eyes and stepped around her. The bathroom was small and dimly lit but June used it quickly, washing her hands when she was finished. She leaned her head against the cool wood of the door, taking a deep breath. She felt… overwhelmed. Maybe it was too much, letting Jeannie push her into coming out tonight. Curling up on the couch with a tub of cookies and cream gelato was starting to sound more appealing than waiting in line to get into whichever crazy club Leslie was taking them to. 

_ No. You’re isolating, and you’ve got to make a concentrated effort not to collapse in on yourself. _ June told herself sternly, squeezing her eyes shut as she let out another deep sigh. Realizing that she couldn’t stay in the crowded restaurant bathroom all night, June steeled herself for the rush of people before pulling open the door. 

“Hey, you okay?” Lead settled in June’s stomach. She’d know that voice anywhere—but it wasn’t being directed at  _ her _ . June slowly raised her head, her heart thudding so loud she  _ almost _ couldn’t hear him. Eddie was leaning against the wall not ten feet away, his back to her. “I thought maybe you fell in or something,” He joked, raising a hand to play nervously with the hair at the back of his neck when his posture went rigid.

_ Crap. Venom clocked me. _

He turned slightly to glance over his shoulder, his eyebrows shooting up as their eyes made contact. June wasn’t sure what expression she was making, considering the unclear jumble of emotions swirling in her belly. Anger, jealousy,  _ hurt— _ she wasn’t sure which one had made it onto her face. The blonde looked between them, confusion and  _ irritation _ on her pretty face. 

“You guys… know each other?” She asked, gesturing between the two of them. 

“No.” June answered first, her voice low. “Not at all.” She shouldered past a surprised Eddie—June could have  _ swore _ he said her name, but her blood was roaring in her ears and she couldn’t stop, she couldn’t talk to him or everything was all going to come pouring out like word vomit. June didn’t stop at the table, simply grabbed her bag from the back of the seat and headed straight for the door. 

June burst outside, her chest heaving and hands shaking as she dug through her purse, hoping she had at least  _ half _ a joint hidden inside.  _ If I’m lucky, I’ll have a lighter too. _ June rounded the corner, stopping when she felt she’d put enough distance between herself, and Eddie  _ fucking _ Brock. She sat carelessly on one of the planter boxes of the trees lining the street. June crowed triumphantly upon discovering the bent, wrinkled end of a joint in one of the pockets of her purse, and an equally old lighter, which lit after only three tries. 

It didn’t take Jean and Leslie long to catch up, confusion coloring their expressions. 

“What the hell was that? You go to pee and then….whoosh?” Jeannie said, throwing her hands up into the air. “What, see someone you hate in the bathroom, Jay?” She asked, gesturing for June to pass the joint around. After taking another deep hit, she did so. 

“Eddie was there.” Her voice was small. “With someone else.” Jean’s mocking expression slipped from her face, and was replaced with genuine concern. Contrary to Jean’s pointed comments, June hadn’t  _ actually _ cried over Eddie—cursing his name and lamenting her own foolishness had pretty much taken up her entire week. But now, she finally felt hot tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. 

“Oh, fuck. Jay, I’m so sorry. I… he’s a fucking tool.” Jeannie said softly, sitting down beside June to rub soothing circles on her back. “He’s an asshole. A stupid asshole.” June let out a sound that was something of a mixture between a loud laugh and a dry sob, before burying her face in her hands. 

“Which guy was it? Is his car here? I’ll slash his fucking tires,” Leslie growled, turning back to face the way they came as though she could determine the information by force of will alone. 

“It’s alright.” June sniffled, carefully wiping her face with the back of her hand. “What was that you said about getting lit?” 

Leslie turned back to her, lifting a skeptical eyebrow. “I dunno,  _ chica _ . Maybe going home is a good idea.” 

June shook her head.  _ If I never make any, how can I call myself the queen of bad decisions? _ “I want to get so fucked up I can’t remember my own name.” Jean shook her head, but Leslie smiled cheekily. 

“That can be arranged.” 

  
  
  
  
  
  


_ To be continued…. _


End file.
